Barbecue is defined largely by the region you’re in. From vinegar- and mustard-based sauces in North Carolina to sweeter stuff in Kansas City, two pitmasters rarely agree on much when it comes to best practices.
New York’s Hudson Valley doesn’t jump to the top of most people’s lists of barbecue destinations, but a surprisingly simple chicken recipe developed by an Ivy League poultry professor carries a lot of weight with grillers and would-be barbecue experts in the Northeast.
First published some 75 years ago by Cornell’s Robert C. Baker, Cornell chicken leans on some basic food science and has gained icon status in the region. You can still find it on restaurant menus, and at family cookouts when the weather warms.
To make Cornell chicken, all you’ll need is bone-in chicken, apple cider vinegar, oil, basic spices or a poultry spice mix and somewhere to cook it, preferably over hot coals, but I found that a cast-iron skillet did nearly as well.
What’s so great about Cornell chicken?
Baker wrote the proverbial book on barbecue chicken, according to many, after extensive recipe testing back in the 1950s. He was unhappy with the bland state of American cuisine, and created this recipe to help serve tasty food en masse at large cookouts.
“Cornell chicken,” as it’s known, is beautifully simple and remains one of the most lauded chicken marinades and summer cookout recipes. You’ll find Cornell chicken served at restaurants, particularly in upstate New York. where the university is located, family picnics, food fairs and festivals across the country.
What’s special about Cornell chicken?
Cornell chicken utilizes one unusual element, a beaten egg, to add a creamy coating and let the chicken skin get crispy without burning. There’s also poultry seasoning for depth of flavor, and vinegar to add tang and help the marinade penetrate.
If you’re wondering how to make Cornell chicken, it’s easy — use just five ingredients and a similar cooking method to traditional barbecue chicken. This chicken marinade is vinegar-based, so it’s more akin to a Carolina style than the sweet Kansas City or St. Louis styles. Baker suggests using a charcoal grill to keep unwieldy flames from cooking the skin unevenly.
How to make perfect Cornell chicken
Ingredients
- Bone-in chicken pieces
- 1/2 cup vegetable cooking oil
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1.5 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1 beaten egg
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Step 1: Beat the egg. Add oil and beat again.
- Step 2: Whisk together all the ingredients in a bowl.
- Step 3: Add chicken pieces and toss to coat. Refrigerate for at least three hours and up to 24 hours.
- Step 4: Place coated chicken on a medium-high grill (Baker suggests charcoal) or hot cast-iron skillet and reserve any leftover marinade.
- Step 5: Cook for 15 to 20 minutes flipping and basting the chicken with leftover sauce every five minutes. Basting should be light at first and grow heavier toward the end of cooking.
- Step 6: Cook until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F.
Can you make Cornell chicken in an air fryer?
Yes, and I did. I put half of my batch in the air fryer and the other half over a hot flame the way Baker intended. Both methods worked well. The grill gave me a slightly more caramelized char while the air fryer was faster and there was less to clean up.
Can you use any chicken for Cornell chicken?
Baker’s original recipe calls for broilers (small whole chickens) but this recipe can be applied to any bone-in, skin-on chicken. You can use boneless, skinless chicken, but you won’t get that coveted crispy skin that Baker’s Cornell chicken recipe aces.
As it turns out, some forum users have even experimented with using the Cornell chicken cooking recipe on wings — to pretty immediate success. One user from the r/Wings subreddit shared their successful Cornell chicken wings, after using the same basic six-step process included in Baker’s original recipe.
If you don’t feel like making this sauce, these are the best bottled barbecue sauces we’ve tried.
Cornell chicken FAQs
What is the most important ingredient for Cornell chicken?
Aside from the obvious — the bone-in chicken — the apple cider vinegar is perhaps the most important part of the Cornell chicken marinade. It adds a unique “tang” and a depth of flavor that defines Baker’s BBQ recipe. Adding the egg also allows the skin to crisp over, adding a great texture to bite into.
In a deep dive into online discussions on Cornell chicken, I found multiple testimonies in a thread on the r/Wings subreddit that Chiavetta’s Barbecue Marinade is based on the Cornell chicken recipe, and is a fantastic store-bought alternative marinade to provide similar results.
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