Cornell Chicken Marinade is the ultimate grilling sauce that graces every county fair, every church social, and every backyard barbecue in central upstate New York. Developed by a Cornell professor in the 1950s, its unique combination of seasoning and protein makes for a marinade that sticks to every inch of the exterior, giving it a crispy, blackened, and flavorful bite.

Professor Bob Baker of Cornell was tasked by the government post-WWII to promote the consumption and usage of eggs and poultry. During rationing, meat consumption (especially of red meat) was extremely restricted, and when rationing was lifted, people were sick of poultry and wanted to eat the once restricted meats. This recipe was published in a 1950 pamphlet, Barbecued Chicken and Other Meats, as a way to revitalize chicken for Americans. Unlike other tomato sauce or ketchup-based marinades, which burned with the grill’s heat, this sauce stuck to the chicken, producing a golden and crispy exterior that was both flavorful and visually appealing. 

Baker would produce other pioneering poultry products in his Cornell labs. Some examples of his development include foods like the chicken hot dog and the preliminary chicken nugget. However, it was his marinade that gave him the nickname Barbecue Bob. It was Bob Baker’s marinade that made people line up at his count Cornell Chicken Coop food stall at the county fair for decades.

The marinade is simple but effective; the real curveball of the ingredient list is the egg, but this protein emulsifier helps the seasoning cling to the chicken and gives the chicken its golden exterior. 

After emulsifying the egg and oil together, the vinegar, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper are whisked in. Set some marinade aside before marinating the chicken; that way you have marinade to properly coat and glaze your chicken with.

Ideally, the chicken should marinate overnight, but if you’re pinched for time, let the chicken marinate for a minimum of four hours.

Grill the chicken, turning and basting the chicken frequently with each rotation. 

Cornell Chicken Marinade results in a chicken that tastes like summer. The vinegar helps tenderize the chicken and get the seasoning into the chicken. This combination of egg and oil clings the seasoning to the chicken and helps give the chicken a beautiful golden exterior.