Cornell Chicken

Wonderful. Except, instead of reserving the used/contaminated marinade to periodically baste with, reserve about 3/4 cup prior to marinating the chicken. Now you have a nice fresh uncontaminated sauce to baste with.

Of all the chicken in the world, fixed in any way, this is my FAVORITE! Really, I would take Cornell chicken over any other, it's that good. We have been using this recipe for years and it does not disappoint. Although I grill out year-round, this recipe is the epitome of delicious summer grilling. Pair it up with some zuchini and peppers grilled with olive oil and you have the best summer grilled meal ever!

Used on butterflied cornish hens...marinated 3 hours...grilled...tender...juicy...delicious.

I let it marinate for about 5 hours and it turned out really nice. Had really good flavor and got great color on the grill. Will make this one again for sure..

I substituted the vegetable oil with olive oil. And added quality apple cider vinegar, needless to say this recipe is AWESOME!!!!!

Delicious! I marinated the chickens overnight and grilled them gas grill and on a smoker. Delicious both ways!

The chicken was very moist. It just didn't have enough "punch" for me. I really wanted to like this!!

perfect! moist, delicious grilled chicken. enough said.

I have eaten this Chicken since I was a girl. It is good an all cuts fo chicken and you can even marinate with it. I LOVE this chicken.

This is SO good- I remember having this marinade on chicken growing up- or something close to it- the only difference was to use melted butter instead of the oil and no egg. I do this recipe as written- although I had no poultry seasoning, so added some garlic instead- I also used on boneless skinless chicken breast- AWESOME! Tender and flavorful! Best on a charcoal grill. 2nd review- WONDERFUL! After I take the chicken out of the marinade (overnight) I boil the used marinade for 10 minutes to 'de-contaminate' it then use that boiled marinade to dip the chicken pieces in as I am grilling it, approximately every 10-15 minutes- every time I turn the chicken.

7/2012 Not sure the effort is worth the reward. Yes the chicken is tasty and moist, but so is a basic beer-can chicken which you don’t have to babysit. Glad I tried it, but don’t think I will make again. REVISED 4/23/2016. Cut large chicken in half, made several slashes in meat and marinated overnight. So much better! Will make again.

Marinade simple to make. Next time I'll cut the salt by half as it was fine on the big pieces and too salty on the small pieces of a cut up chicken. Marinated 4 hours. We're looking forward to having this again!

This is a staple that I keep in my refrigerator at all times! Use this only for grilling, not baking. Believe it or not, I use plain white vinegar and it is just as delicious! Sometimes I also add garlic powder and onion powder. My method is a little different in that I whisk the egg and oil together first, then add the other ingredients. Store in a bottle in the fridge and shake well before use. This is a strong marinade and a little goes a long way. I have even used this on shrimp (brush on at grill time, don't marinate).

Used cut up fryer and reduced the oil to 1/2 cup. Wonderful flavor and moist chicken. We rarely fix chicken with skin on, but this will be a go to recipe when we do

This was offered at the NYS fair in Syracuse when I lived in NY...delicious! I have used this recipe like three times a month, even in the winter. I usually grill it on a gas grill, but I think charcoal makes it even better. I remember the make-shift grills at the fair...cinder blocks built up with grills on top, done with charcoal, and the marinade swabbed on with a mop...best memories ever! The Doctor, in the urban-legends I have heard, was "tasked" with the challenge of creating a marinade that would "bind" on the chicken, thus the egg. The amount in this recipe is enough to grill three different batches of 6-8 chicken thighs, IMO. I use VERY little for marinating in the plastic bag, just enough to coat, and then use a more liberal amount for "swabbing" while on the grill. The marinade to flame/heat ratio (coat, then turn) will make this best on a gas grill... And the rest will keep in the fridge...that much vinegar, it's all good!

I always wondered what the marinade was on the chicken we buy on the side of the road from a Moose or Elks Lodge (or something like that). This is it. Now I make it myself. Tastes good after the four hours, but even better if marinaded overnight.

We made this last night with chicken breasts. Kept everything else the same. Awesome flavor, will make again!

this was the BEST. just like the chicken we get here at our fire dpt. chicken BBQ. amazing didn't change any thing. thanks dr. Baker and Cornell Uniersity.

My father made this chicken on the grill all the time and since I hated the smell of vinegar, he wouldn't tell me what was in it. This is the BEST chicken ever! I make it myself now. I do decrease the salt by half, but that's it. Make sure you've got a lot of chicken, this goes a long way. Also, I have boiled the chicken in the marinade ahead of time for about 15 minutes then transferred to the grill so it has the flavor really deeply infused and the meat is done on the grill without burning it. Again, BEST CHICKEN EVER!

I made this tonight. Too bad our grill's tank couldn't be opened. I had to broil them instead. Tastes good but all the vinegar is very strong.

I was looking for a marinade recipe for some fantastic grilled chicken like I had when I lived in upstate NY. There wasn't a name for what I tasted and I asked the man who made it for our church picnic for the recipe. He wouldn't give it to me saying it was "an old family secret". I guess the joke was on me. When I found it here I thought I finally found it, I hoped. I made it exactly according to the recipe and I was right! At long last, I have the "family secret. I told my wife before she ate any of it that no matter how much you eat, you're going to want more. When she finished eating two thighs, she said she wanted more. We both agree this recipe is an treasure to keep! I count it as a 10 out of 5 stars.

1. I don't use a blender. Just mix in a gallon zip top bag. 2. I prefer white pepper to black pepper. 3. Ideally I'd marinate this for much longer (at least overnight), but I never remember ahead of time to put them in so it's good that it turns out so well with just a few hours. 4. Use whatever bone-in chicken pieces you have on hand. I prefer drumsticks. Even if you don't eat the skin I recommend keeping it on for grilling to help keep the chicken moist. So. Good.

My dad has been making my whole life and is famous in our little town for his chicken. Cook the chicken low and slow on a charcoal grill.

Very good marinade but 180 degrees internal is way to high. 165 degrees internal is perfect. Revised temps were change back in 2004 by the Govt and has made roasting and grilling so much more successful for all types of meat and all types of experience levels.

Wow- this was fantastic!! Made for fourth of July and everyone loved it!!

This was a very good grilled chicken, not the best I've ever had but decidedly good. I only marinated for a day (not overnight as I normally would) due to reviews of this technically being a basting sauce not a marinade. I think it could have marinated longer and been fine. I was cooking for kids so I did 1 1/2 cups cider vinegar and 1/2 cup apple juice. I indirectly grilled then put them over the flames to crisp them up at the end. I also used immersion basting several times (after I heated/thickened the marinade in a saucepan on the stove) which worked nicely, and kept the grill from getting too messy! Would make again.

Good, different, very tender.

My family loved this. We make leg quarters and everyone raved about the chicken. We will be making this our go to marinade and sauce.

All I tasted was vinegar.

I was very skeptical about this, I followed the directions to a T and it is the most delicious chicken I have ever made and tasted!! All I kept thinking is how is all of this vinegar going to make the chicken taste good? It did!! Even my picky granddaughter ate a whole chicken thigh!! I marinaded my chicken over night and basted it throughout the cooking time. That makes a huge difference. Thanks for the delicious recipe

I tried this with a 5 lb. broiler I had in the freezer. After thawing in cold water, I marinated the whole bird for four hours, then grilled "beer-can" style over indirect heat. It took about an hour and fifteen minutes for the thermometer in the thigh to reach 180 degrees. During the cooking time, I basted the bird every 15 minutes with reserved marinade. After resting for five minutes, i quartered the bird for serving. The bird was super-juicy, with a nice hint of flavor from the marinade. I will definitely try this again!

I baked mine in the oven for an hour on a broiler pan. It’s not as pungent as the flavors I remember from living upstate, but this is at least a great start. I will try it on the grill and see if that or a longer marinade time make a difference.

Absolutely fantastic recipe. I made it twice before rating. The second time I decided to turn the chicken then baste every 5 minutes (instead of what it reads in the recipe). I can comfortably say I will make this once a month.

Cut the recipe for just two of us, but followed all the directions and it was juicy and delicious! My husband is still learning how to grill chicken and this is an easy intro to grilled chicken! Thanks!

I grew up in Western New York and have introduced this to my Michigan friends. Only change I made was to quarter the chicken. Delicious!

I was able to marinara it for only 5 hours. Might have been even better if I marinated it overnight. But it was a hit anyway

Didn't change a thing. Wonderfully moist and full of flavor. Can't wait to make it again! Picky kids loved it, too!

Cornell chicken tastes like summer - it's been a long time favorite recipe. We usually use bone-in thighs but have used leg quarters too.

Can't believe this is a recipe with such great reviews. All we tasted was vinegar. Threw most of it away.

I saw such great reviews so I tried this. I used skinless breasts to avoid the extra fat and calories so I grilled it for a while in foil with marinade before grilling it directly. It was moist but not very tasty. It was mainly sour, which I usually like. Not a hit with the family so I'll probably never make it again. There are many other recipes from this site that turned out much better. I guess if I grew up on this like many other reviewers did, I might have liked it more.

Have been using this recipe for decades. Love it. We always marinade overnight.

I have made this several times !!!

I grew up on this recipe but never knew it was called Cornell Chicken. In the 1950s my mother took a cooking class at Cornell Extension college and would make this ever summer on our old rotisserie charcoal bbq. It would take hours over the charcoal bbq rotisserie and we would hear that motor wiring and smell that chicken cooking. She would got out and baste every 20 minutes for 2 hours. It was summer heaven. So glad this recipe is posted and I can now use the convection oven instead!

I was prepared to not like this at all, but it's wonderful. My husband isn't that fond of chicken, but we had this last night and he's still talking about how good it was. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe.

I've used this recipe for years. I now cook it in the sous vide so it is fully cooked, then grill it to crisp the skin. When I bring my chicken home from the store, I freeze the chicken raw with the marinade. Throw the frozen chicken in the sous vide before work, then finish it on the grill at dinner time. So easy. Tastes just like marinated overnight.

I love this recipe!
Make it often.

I do tweak it a little.

Half the salt is fine for me. 3 tablespoons is too muck for my taste.
I add a half teaspoon of both garlic and onion powder. Also I add a few shakes or cyanine pepper.
I find cooking to 165 is perfect rather than 180.
I Spatchcock the whole bird and it comes out super moist and makes a great presentation.

This is a marinade that I consistently go back to. The ingredients are simple and the taste is great. I have found that the longer I marinate the chicken the better the flavor. I have used it with all cuts of chicken from a whole fryer to boneless/skinless chicken breasts and the family always loves it. If you want a little kick, add red pepper flakes or a spicier poultry seasoning.

As a kid growing up in NY, Cornell chicken is my most favorite grilled chicken.

Awesome recipe. I grew up with this recipe in the Finger Lakes. love it love it but I wouldn't marinate more than 5 hours because the vinegar can turn the chicken rubbery after a while. Bon appetit!

The marinade smelled awful to me, but I used it anyway, reserving some for basting later. I only added 2 Tbls. salt because my poultry seasoning had salt in it too. At first bite I wondered why this chicken had such high ratings, but the more I ate the better it got. I grilled it over charcoal and the skin was crispy and the meat was nice and juicy! The flavor turned out surprisingly pleasant.

This is New York State bbq chicken at its finest! I grew up on this sauce. Perhaps not Chef John’s recipe....but they’re all alike....or darn close. Fabulous...make it as written...it’s perfect.

Loved it. My favorite grilled chicken

Excellent recipe! I prepared this using Split Chicken cuts (leg w/ attached thigh) and cooked using the Sous Vide water bath method at 158 Deg F for 3.5 hours. Finish on a charcoal or pellet grill to a barbeque glaze.

I've been making this recipe for over 50 years. Good every time. Not necessary to use a blender, just put ingredients in a jar and shake well. Once less tool to clean!

Very good recipe. I wanted to use it for and open pit cookout and used the mop baster to apply the sauce. This worked very well even though I didn’t marinate the chickens first.

Wonderful recipes.

This turned out really well. I let the chicken marinate ( a little was reserved for basting) overnight, but sadly, due to the weather I had to use the oven. I hit the broiler the last few minutes trying for a bit of color....seemed to work well enough. It was tender and juicy, every time I opened the oven door to baste them, my eyes would burn a little from the vinegar but no one found it overwhelming while eating. I can't wait to try again using the grill!

Marinated for 6 hours. Constantly basted as it was grilling. Chicken was moist and juicy, even the breast which I don't normally like grilled. Thinking of putting this in rotation at my restaurant where Trinidadian people are picky about their food.

We have always called this "church chicken" - it's the recipe used by local churches every year when they spend all morning grilling hundreds of chickens to sell as a fundraiser. The key to this recipe is to use SKIN-ON chicken - whichever pieces you like. The egg in the recipe helps the marinade stick to the skin, which actually gets crispy without burning while it cooks. We grill a lot of chicken (at least 3 - 4 nights a week) and this recipe is - hands down - our family favorite!

made it as written. DELICIOUS!

Wonderful recipe, gives chicken such good, moist flavor!

We ran out of propane so the first I'm trying this recipe I had to bake in the oven at 375 degrees for about an hour after marinating for a full 18 hours. Then under the broiler for 5 minutes to crisp up the skin. It was a tiny bit overdone but this was pretty darn good chicken even if I wasn't able to cook it as recommended. Next time I'll use the bbq as is required and update.

One of my all-time favorite chicken recipes. My family calls it “dipping chicken”. We reserve some of the marinade BEFORE it goes on the chicken and use it as a “dipping sauce” for the cooked chicken. My kids love this with boiled red potatoes and corn. They even dip the potatoes in the sauce. One of my family’s favorite recipes for over 40 years!

It was excellent!!! Thank you. My son also made it.

We use this recipe weekly to have grilled chicken at the ready for salads and sandwiches. It's excellent! We often use breasts and not whole chicken. We once left it marinating for two days and it was still great.

I love this recipe! I have been doing it since I was a little girl … since I did grow up in Ithaca NY, and my family mostly went to go to Cornell and/or taught there… so it’s been in the family from day one and it never fails! Enjoy, we do! 😀