It’s one of the most famous chicken recipes in America. So, one delicious way to celebrate summer BBQ’ing is by popping a cold one in honor of the man who has helped to make barbecued chicken America’s favorite picnic food. Cornell University Professor Robert Baker is the creator of the famous Cornell Barbecue Chicken Sauce, the recipe that is often referred to as “State Fair Chicken.” The simple and tasty sauce can be used as a fabulous 2-hour marinade or for basting chicken on the grill.
And the BBQ sauce that goes with the chicken is just as unique, with a mayonnaise base instead of tomato sauce. The Cornell Barbecue Chicken isn’t the only iconic recipe to come from Baker. He is also the inventor of more than 40 other recipes including chicken and turkey hot dogs, and the world-famous chicken nugget. (McDonald’s generally gets the credit for inventing the chicken nuggets, but Baker published his chicken nugget recipe in the 1950s, while McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets recipe was patented in 1979.) Another creation that probably helped land Baker in the Poultry Hall of Fame (Yes, there is one!) was his revolutionary method of binding breading to chicken which is used in hundreds of food applications today. In the book, The Lexicon of Real American Food, it says that Robert Baker’s goal in life was to get people to eat more chicken. Mission accomplished.