Aussies call for the return of KFC Hot and Spicy

Aussie fast-food fans have spoken, and they clearly want KFC to make this classic menu item available all the time, in every state.

The problem with a limited-edition menu item is if it’s good, it leaves you wanting more.

Australians are still salivating over KFC mashies and the delicious McRib burger from McDonald’s, with Facebook pages dedicated to campaigning for returns of much-loved fast-foods.

While there are those special items we don’t get for long (or long enough if they’re a flop), there are also menu changes that steer too far from the classic offerings you love.

This week news.com.au asked readers to submit what they’d like on today’s Australia’s Favourite poll which asks what fast-food item you want returned – and one of them isn’t a limited-edition item.

It turns out there are Aussies who are still fuming Hungry Jack’s changed its onion ring recipe.

But after more than 7600 votes, Australia has spoken – it’s time for KFC to make Hot and Spicy Chicken permanent.

The fried chicken chain’s (sort of) limited-edition menu item was the clear winner in our poll, with 28 per cent of you calling for the return of the flaming-hot range.

Hot and Spicy has a slightly messy history in Australia, due to KFC stores being split between Yum! Brands – the US company that owns KFC and other brands including Pizza Hut and Taco Bell – and Collins Foods, a Brisbane-based franchisor.

Collins Foods has a large presence in Queensland and Western Australia, while Yum! Brands covers most of the rest of the stores in the country.

According to Hot and Spicy aficionados on the internet, Queensland stores have in the past kept Hot and Spicy as a menu item year-round, while in other states it comes and goes at the whims of the Colonel.

Over the years there have been Facebook campaigns and Change.org petitions calling for Hot and Spicy to be put on the menu in all states permanently. Let’s hope KFC is listening.

News.com.au’s Australia’s Favourite series asks you each week what should be crowned our country’s best.

So far you’ve told us your favourite fast food burger is the Filet-o-Fish, Mountain Dew is the best soft drink, ham and pineapple is the ultimate pizza topping, Tasty Toobs need to return, Bondi Beach is by far the most overrated in the country, and Stone & Wood Pacific Ale is your beer of choice.

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The current onion ring offering at Hungry Jack’s.

People have been pestering Hungry Jack’s about their onion rings for years.

It seems like the new recipe is here to stay.

One Hungry Jack’s fan said they had a “surprise encounter” with the new ones and were too scared to go back to the chain.

“They sucked,” the customer wrote.

With McDonald’s announcing a new McFlurry flavour yesterday, many people are still calling for former flavours to make a return – the Shrek-inspired Ogre frozen soft drink among them.

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Who loves KFC Mashies?

Meanwhile, many tell Macca’s they want certain McFlurry flavours returned on the Shrek-inspired items of the 2000s.

Meanwhile, prayers have already been answered with the return of the KFC Tower Burger so we can no longer keep that one on the list.

KFC has succumbed to the pressure of fans and after three long years, they’ve listened, bringing back one of their most iconic burgers.

But fans of KFC mashies are still calling on the chain to make their return happen.

Did your favourite make the list? Share your memories in the comments below or let us know what should be next in Australia’s favourite search