Home cooking without turning on the stove

Chicken soup might be good for the soul but Chicken Scratch is good for the stomach. 

If you’ve had a hankering for some home cooking, but lack the motivation to do all the prep and dishwashing, one new spot has opened up to relieve all those worries. Chicken Scratch is the latest concept brought to Philadelphians by STARR Restaurants, which of course comes from restauranteur Stephen Starr. Starr has restaurants all over the world in New York, Washington D.C, Florida and even Paris, but a majority of his establishments call the City of Brotherly Love home including Parc, El Vez and The Love, among others. 

With Chicken Scratch, Starr is taking his culinary offerings back to the roots of simple, yet delicious cuisine. With hotspots like Buddkan serving up modern takes on Asian cuisine and Parc celebrating Parisian ingredients with bold flavors, one might expect a very fancy take on home cooking with the new concept—but delightfully, the food is uncomplicated in the best way. 

The website’s description for the new spot states: “Serving delicious and healthy food without the hassle of cooking is our guiding purpose. Our menu offers rotisserie chicken served with a selection of sides and sauces. Grab a half combo with Mom’s mac n’ cheese or a chicken sandwich with crispy potatoes, and we have a family option, too.” 

The menu does offer meat and potatoes, along with a smattering of sides to go along with the main dishes. Philadelphians can order up a rotisserie chicken alongside potato rolls, steamed vegetables, fried sweet plantains, black beans and rice, crispy potatoes and Mom’s mac & cheese. A rotisserie chicken sandwich and a rotisserie chicken salad is also available to order along with their special selection of “spotlight sauces” that range in flavors and heat. The family option as well comes in a combo that feeds 4 people and comes out to be $50. 

This new concept is following in the footsteps of many other pandemic-centric eateries that have had to change the way they work to fit the current need. Chicken Scratch is operating as a ghost kitchen in Starr’s other establishment, Serpico, which is fitting since Chef Peter Serpico came up with the menu for the new home-cooked spot. Starr has used this method before when launching Pete’s Place, a Korean-inspired noodle joint that launched last October and runs out of the same kitchen as well. 

Chicken Scratch will be available to diners for takeout from Serpico (604 South Street), and delivery via Doordash, Caviar, Grubhub, and Uber Eats  from 4 to 9 p.m. For more information and to see the full menu, visit chknscrtch.com