KFC has been forced to close a raft of stores after a new delivery contract with DHL resulted in chicken shortages across the country.

The company said that of those outlets that were still open, many were offering a limited menu or had cut their hours.

It gave no notice of when operations would be back to normal.

"We've brought a new delivery partner onboard, but they've had a couple of teething problems - getting fresh chicken out to 900 restaurants across the country is pretty complex!" KFC said in a statement.

"We won't compromise on quality, so no deliveries has meant some of our restaurants are closed and others are operating a limited menu, or shortened hours," the company added.

"We know that this might have inconvenienced some of you over the last few days, and disappointed you when you wanted your fried chicken fix - we're really sorry about that."

KFC was previously a client of Bidvest Logistics but has since swapped contract to enlist DHL for food deliveries.

In its own statement, DHL said: "Due to operational issues a number of deliveries in recent days have been incomplete or delayed.

"We are working with KFC and our partners to rectify the situation as a priority and apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused."