This Detroit Kitchen Still Makes A Dish Most Of Michigan Has Forgotten About

The first time someone handed me almond boneless chicken, I stared at it the way you stare at a word you have never heard but already know. The crust was golden, the chicken underneath tender, the almond sauce pooled across the top like something between a gravy and a glaze.

Nobody outside this region seems to know what it is, plus when I describe it, they assume it is a made-up dish or a typo. But it is real. It has survived on menus here for decades.

The version I keep going back to arrives on a plain white plate with no garnish, no reinterpretation, no attempt to modernize something that already works.

The kitchen has been making it since the building was new, the recipe has not drifted. A dish this stubborn belongs to a place that refuses to let go of its own strange culinary traditions in Michigan.

Start With The Almond Boneless Chicken

The first crackle of almond boneless chicken explains why this Detroit favorite deserves attention. At The Peterboro, crisp chicken meets savory shiitake gravy and almonds, creating a plate that feels familiar without copying the heavy versions served for generations.

Known locally as ABC, the dish is uncommon outside the Detroit area. Older preparations usually feature battered white chicken breast covered with brown gravy, while the restaurant developed a juicier approach using white and dark meat shaped with gravy before frying.

Order it early enough to enjoy while the coating remains crisp. Cut through the chicken, gather a little gravy and almond in each bite, and notice how crunch, tenderness, and earthy flavor trade places.

Sharing works well, but give everyone a proper piece rather than a polite forkful.

Cass Avenue Drops You Into Chinatown

The Peterboro sits at 420 Peterboro Street in Detroit, Michigan, in the city’s historic Chinatown and Cass Corridor. Cass Avenue provides the easiest landmark for the final approach, meeting Peterboro Street right in the heart of the small district.

Turn from Cass onto Peterboro Street and the restaurant is only a short distance into the block. This part of Midtown is close to Little Caesars Arena and other busy central Detroit destinations, so event nights can bring heavier traffic and tighter parking than the short final drive might suggest.

The restaurant does not have its own on-site parking lot. Look for legal street parking along Peterboro and nearby streets or use one of the public surface lots around Cass Avenue, then finish the trip with a short walk to the 420 Peterboro storefront.

Know The Detroit Story Behind ABC

A regional dish can carry more history than its plain name suggests. Almond boneless chicken appeared on Detroit-area Chinese restaurant menus by the 1960s, becoming a local standard even though many diners elsewhere have never encountered it.

One theory connects ABC to almond press duck, adapted by Chinese-American cooks for customers who already loved fried chicken. Its exact path is not settled, but its lasting place in Detroit reflects the families and restaurants that shaped the city’s Chinese-American food culture.

The Peterboro matters because it serves the dish in Detroit’s former second Chinatown, not in a setting detached from that history. Pause before treating ABC as another fried entree.

Knowing the background turns the plate into a small lesson about adaptation, neighborhood change, and the clever ways restaurant kitchens answer local tastes without losing their own character.

Notice How The Chicken Is Built

Look closely after making the first cut, because the center is not an ordinary chicken breast. Chef Brion Wong’s documented preparation braises and shreds white and dark meat, combines it with gravy, and gels the mixture before coating and frying it.

That extra construction solves a familiar problem with traditional ABC: thick chicken breast can become dry beneath its batter. Here, the formed interior holds moisture, while the fried shell supplies contrast and keeps the dish from feeling like soft chicken under sauce.

Eat one bite from the middle before dragging everything through the gravy. The plain cross-section reveals the texture most clearly, then the shiitake sauce adds earthiness and depth.

Marcona almonds bring a richer, rounder crunch than ordinary slivered almonds, so include one when comparing the crisp coating, tender filling, and silky topping.

Let The Gravy Join Gradually

Gravy is the quiet troublemaker on any crisp dish. Leave the chicken sitting too long, and steam begins softening the shell; rush through it, and you miss how The Peterboro’s shiitake gravy deepens the flavor of the meat.

A balanced method is simple: begin at an edge where the coating remains especially crisp, then move toward the sauced center. Pair each piece with enough gravy to taste its mushroom character without completely hiding the fried surface.

The almonds add another kind of crunch, one that lasts longer.

For a shared table, place ABC where everyone can reach it before slower dishes distract the group. Serving pieces promptly protects the contrast the kitchen worked to create.

If leftovers are planned, keeping heavily sauced portions separate from crisper pieces may help preserve more texture during carry-out.

Share Several Plates Around The Table

Tables become more interesting when ABC has company. The Peterboro serves contemporary Chinese-American food suited to sharing, so one chicken entree can anchor a spread rather than carry the entire meal alone.

Choose contrasts instead of ordering several similarly fried plates. Mushroom dumplings bring shiitake, carrot, leek, and garlic in chili oil mushroom broth, while pork dumplings pair pork, cabbage, and garlic with black vinegar sauce.

Either choice introduces softer textures and sharper seasoning beside the rich chicken.

Three or four diners can begin with dumplings, add almond boneless chicken, and select noodles or a vegetable dish according to appetite. Ask the table about spice comfort before ordering, since chili oil and Szechuan seasoning appear in several options.

Sharing also makes the regional specialty easier to try without preventing anyone from exploring the broader menu.

Add Crisp Hong Kong-Style Noodles

A nest of crisp noodles brings useful drama beside tender chicken and glossy gravy. The Peterboro’s Hong Kong-style pan-fried noodles are known for their crunchy texture, making them a smart companion when the table needs something beyond another soft or saucy dish.

Try the noodles before mixing them with anything else. Their browned edges offer the clearest crunch at first, while sections touched by sauce become pleasantly chewy.

That changing texture is part of the pleasure, not a flaw requiring immediate rescue.

Place the noodles opposite the ABC so diners can alternate bites rather than piling both together. The chicken provides rich, savory weight, and the noodles reset the rhythm with toasted crispness.

Ordering both also highlights the kitchen’s control of frying techniques, from a compact coated chicken portion to thin strands browned across a hot cooking surface.

Try Mushroom Dumplings For Contrast

Steam rising from mushroom broth changes the mood after a crunchy bite of ABC. The Peterboro’s vegan mushroom dumplings contain shiitake mushroom, carrot, leek, and garlic, then arrive in chili oil mushroom broth finished with scallions.

The filling echoes the shiitake notes in the chicken’s gravy without repeating its fried texture. Garlic and leek add savory depth, while chili oil introduces warmth that can make the next almond-covered bite seem milder and richer.

Spoon up some broth rather than treating it as decoration. Take a dumpling with enough liquid to taste the mushroom base, then return to the chicken for a clear comparison.

Diners avoiding meat can enjoy the dumplings as their own substantial shared plate, though individual dietary needs should always be confirmed with restaurant staff because preparation practices and menu details may change.

Save Room For A Sugar Egg Puff

Osmanthus sugar gives dessert a floral little twist after the savory weight of gravy and fried chicken. The Peterboro’s sugar egg puff is a Chinese doughnut served with crème anglaise, offering a soft, sweet finish without repeating the meal’s strongest flavors.

Order it when the main plates are nearly cleared, not at the beginning of the meal. A freshly served puff is best approached while its exterior and tender center still contrast.

Dip lightly at first because the custard sauce can quickly become the loudest part of a bite.

Sharing one dessert is sensible after a broad spread, although dedicated sweet eaters may object with excellent reason. The osmanthus sugar is the detail to watch for: it adds aroma rather than simple sweetness.

That gentle floral note makes the ending feel connected to the restaurant’s playful, contemporary approach.

Look Up Current Hours Before Leaving

Nothing cools an appetite faster than meeting a locked door. The Peterboro currently lists service from Wednesday through Sunday, with Monday and Tuesday closed, but restaurant schedules can shift for holidays, events, or operational changes.

Check the official website or reservation page on the day of your visit. Published hours list evening service Wednesday through Friday, Saturday service beginning at noon, and Sunday opening in the late afternoon.

Confirming directly is wiser than relying on an old social post or saved map screenshot.

The restaurant also offers carry-out, which can help when dining room timing does not fit your plans. For ABC, consider travel time because the contrast between coating and gravy is strongest when served promptly.

A quick schedule check protects both the trip and the texture, which is unusually practical wisdom for fried chicken.

Reserve Ahead Or Try A Walk-In

A little planning helps when dinner is tied to a show, birthday, or downtown outing. The Peterboro accepts reservations through Tock, while walk-ins are also welcome, giving visitors options for both scheduled evenings and sudden almond chicken cravings.

Reserve when arrival time matters or when bringing a larger group that wants to share several dishes. Walk-ins make sense for flexible diners, although seating can depend on the hour and current demand.

Calling the restaurant is useful when accessibility, party size, or carry-out timing requires a direct answer.

Once seated, mention that ABC is the main reason for visiting and ask how many plates suit the group. Staff can help balance portions with dumplings, noodles, or vegetables.

That short conversation prevents over-ordering and leaves enough room to appreciate the regional specialty while it is hot.