Cornell Chicken Marinade

  Posted on August 28, 2013  by Leslie Blythe  No comments

Cornell Chicken Marinade

Another one from rom my brother-in-law, Russell’s friends Doug and Greg at Keuka Lake, NY. Developed in at Cornell University (story below) in nearby Ithaca, this marinade forms a paste that will stick to the chicken and not drip onto the coals causing flames like so many barbecue marinades do. And it was delicious. The recipe didn’t say how much chicken this would cover, but it did say “24 servings”…so enough for 4-6 cut-up chickens. I would personally reduce the salt to 2 Tbs.

In 1946, Robert Baker, a University of Pennsylvania masters degree student with an undergraduate degree in pomology, created something unusual to serve at a dinner to be held for the state’s governor. Baker, whose goal in life was to encourage people to eat more chicken, devised a tomato-free marinade with which to baste chicken parts as they cooked over charcoal. The dish was much loved by all in attendance; and when Baker moved to Cornell University in 1957, he brought the recipe with him. As Cornell chicken, served at Baker’s Chicken Coop booth at the annual New York State Fair in Syracuse, it was a hit for over five decades. Long a favorite of backyard barbecuists throughout New York’s Southern Tier, Cornell chicken’s primary role is as picnic food at fund-raisers, political rallies and church suppers. Slow-cooked over charcoal, the chicken comes off the grill with a gold glaze and plush meat.

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