A media storm has erupted after The New York Times featured a photo of a chicken in an erotic-looking pose.

The so-called "sexy chicken" and "pin-up chicken" appeared in a story about legitimisation of chicken skin among contemporary chefs.

It featured a close-up of a busty specimen of chicken "posing" seductively with its wings on its thigh and its legs crossed in a come-hither stance (above).

Tiina Loite, the photo editor who dreamt up the shoot, said it was no mean feat trying to sex up the chicken.

"My original concept was sort of a languid nude,” she told The Times' lens blog, adding that she spent hours analysing chicken photos for exactly the right look.

Eventually - after many hours spent trying to coax the bird into a sexy position with chopsticks, weights and more - “the chicken had attitude,” she said.

The result was greeted with enthusiasm on Twitter. "They make vegetables sexy, so let the meat people make chicken sexy!" wrote one user, as another added, "I love that the Times went with a raw, reclining chicken in a kind of cartoon-sexy pose here."

However, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) were less impressed and accused the newspaper of lacking taste.

"When I saw it I just couldn't believe that an editor of The New York Times would find it acceptable," PETA's founder and president Ingrid Newkirk told The Atlantic Wire. "It's downright offensive, not just to people who care about animals but almost to everyone. It's a plucked, beheaded, young chicken in a young pose."

What do you think? Is the seductive chicken photo funny or out of line? Let us know your opinion on Twitter or in the comments section below.

Furore over 'sexy chicken' photo