<p>The contribution of village chickens to food and nutrition security and sustainable food systems in peri-urban and urban environments has not received sufficient attention. The objective of the study was to investigate the consumption patterns and intra-household distribution of village chicken products among chicken-owning households along the urban-rural gradient. Identification of villages with large village chicken populations was initially conducted through consultations with local authorities. The purposive sampling approach was used to identify village chicken farmers and to randomly select 300 participants. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered, and face-to-face interviews were conducted in urban (<i>n</i> = 100), peri-urban (<i>n</i> = 100), and rural (<i>n</i> = 100) areas of Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. Response surface regression (RSREG) procedure was used to determine the relationship between distances from the city centre and consumption patterns of village chicken products. Over 38% of males consumed thigh meat portions, and more than 37% of children consumed village chicken feet, back, and hearts among chicken-owning households across the urban-rural gradient. Rural dwellers were 5.75 and 4.27 times more likely to consume chicken meat compared to urban (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.01) and peri-urban dwellers (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.05), respectively. Consumption of village chicken intestines (R² = 0.338) and gizzards (R² = 0.279) increased with an increase in distance from the city centre (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.01). Policies that promote village chicken products as a nutritious protein source and support nutritional education by emphasizing their health benefits are required. Policies that promote and prioritize optimal maternal and child consumption of village chicken products are also required, particularly in urban areas.</p>