I really do not consider myself a food nerd, but any recipe that has origins in Upstate New York will always intrigue me. I have been testing and trying recipes and dishes that have ties to Upstate New York. And while I don’t usually like to play favorites this one ranks pretty high on my list of Upstate comfort foods I love.
Cornell chicken is probably the best-known version of chicken barbecue in Upstate New York, served at nearly every fireman’s chicken barbecue fundraiser with a side of salt potatoes. The scent of the vinegar based marinade and the warm, smokey charcoal BBQ billowing in the air on a summer day is truly a scent of summer, I am sure many Upstate New Yorkers are familiar with and have a hard time resisting.
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The original Cornell chicken recipe and cooking technique PDF via Cornell Ecommons
Cornell Chicken BBQ
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon table salt
- 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 broiler chickens cut into quarters
Instructions
- Whisk egg in a medium bowl until well beaten. Slowly add in the oil until fully blended. Then whisk in the vinegar, salt, poultry seasoning, and ground black pepper. Set aside about 1/3 of the sauce to use for basting while grilling. Place chicken in a large Ziploc bag, and coat with sauce. Seal, and marinate in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
- When ready to cook:
- Preheat the grill to a medium temperature, about 275 degrees F preferably over charcoal.
- Arrange the coated chicken on the preheated grill. Cook (covered) for 40 to 45 minutes or until cooked through, basting with the reserved sauce after 20 minutes. Cook until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
Notes
The original recipe calls for a whopping 3 tablespoons of salt, this is just way too much salt for me and my family, so I have scaled it back to 1 tablespoon.
The Original Recipe which uses a barbecue pit, can easily be adapted to a regular home grill, either charcoal or gas, but charcoal you give you that distinct barbecue flavor. The original recipe was actually developed to by Dr. Robert Baker, a Cornell University professor (who also invented chicken nuggets) to help poultry producers sell more and younger birds, thus maximizing profits. The marinade recipe he created, produces an exceptionally crispy chicken with moist and flavorful meat. So without further ado here is my adaptation of a classic Upstate dish.
So without further ado here is my adaptation of a classic Upstate dish. I have closely followed the original recipe, but have scaled back the amount of salt in the marinade, to better suit my family’s needs.
References : Robert Baker Invented Chicken Nuggets, Turkey Burgers, and Cornell BBQ Robert C. Baker, Wikipedia
Tasha
Wednesday 27th of July 2022
What is in the poultry seasoning ? Doesn’t specify…
Christine
Sunday 1st of May 2022
I grew up in the Finger lakes and took this bbq chicken for granted. I moved away then moved back here from NYC to raise my daughter and I knew I was home when the smell of a fire dept bbq came in thru my car window. Dr. Baker's chicken might just be my favorite food, period. (As long as there are Hinerwadels salt potatoes on the side)
Cornell chicken is the best-known version of barbecue marinade in Upstate New York, served… – Amazing Recipes
Friday 7th of August 2020
[…] barbecue, now you can make it at home with the original recipe.Credit: Home in the Finger LakesVIEW SOURCEMore […]
Clayton
Tuesday 7th of July 2020
That’s the marinade Dr Bakers real secret was shared with neighbors and friends It’s three eggs 1/2 c oil 1/4c vinegar the rest is same in bowl 2-4hrs fridge then top rack in bbq baste baste baste It’s thicker and better my parents knew him it was the neighborhood secret And bettterrr
T E
Monday 21st of August 2017
HI, Jennifer – I used to live in the CNY area and have family there still. Sauder’s is one of my favorites!
I remember the village fire department chicken bbq fundraisers like they were yesterday – can’t wait to try this.
One question, though – have you found there to be any significant difference in marinating the cuts for a day as opposed to just basting at the grill?
Absolutely love the site – like a walk down the path of my younger years.
David G Crawford
Thursday 10th of June 2021
@T E, The basting is important for most flavor. also we would put cooked halve in big kettle and pour the sauce over them cover and let sit on grill until served this add to the flavor and kept moist not drying out the chicken