A Cornell Professor Used Science to Make Perfect Barbecue Chicken. Here’s How to Do It [CNET]

Five-ingredient “Cornell chicken” is based on food science and is regarded as one the best barbecue chicken recipes ever. Here’s how to make the timeless summer supper.

Waxing philosophical about whether the chicken or the egg came first (it’s the egg by several hundred million years) is all well and good, but it won’t help get dinner on the table. For the best barbecue of your life you’ll need chicken and an egg, along with some apple cider vinegar, simple poultry seasoning, oil and a hot grill.

I’m talking about Cornell chicken, an iconic summer grill recipe based on food science and developed by inventor and Cornell University food and poultry professor Dr. Robert C. Baker.

Baker wrote the proverbial book on barbecue chicken after extensive recipe testing back in the 1950s. “Cornell chicken,” as it’s now known, is simple yet widely regarded as one of the best chicken marinades and barbecue sauces. 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.

Cornell chicken is backed by science and combines one unusual element, a beaten egg, to add a creamy coating and protection to keep the skin from burning. There’s also poultry seasoning for depth of flavor and vinegar to add a sour tang and help the marinade penetrate the flesh. Most recipes succeed when they have balance or “bloom,” and Cornell chicken is a prime example of simple elements combining to form a more perfect union.

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 is 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: Whisk together all the ingredients in a bowl.
• Step 2: Add chicken pieces and toss to coat. Refrigerate for at least three hours and up to 24 hours.
• Step 3: Place coated chicken on a medium-high grill (Baker suggests charcoal) and reserve any leftover marinade.
• Step 4: 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 5: 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 type of 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.

If you don’t feel like making this sauce, these are the best bottled barbecue sauces we’ve tried.