This Marinade for Grilled Chicken Drumsticks is the perfect blend of apple cider vinegar, oil, salt, and poultry seasoning creates a flavorful coating that locks in moisture while imparting a delightful tangy taste. The result is tender, juicy chicken with crispy skin.
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Why this Marinade for Chicken Drumstick Recipe is a Keeper
Named for it’s creator, Bob Baker a professor at Cornell University. The Cornell Chicken Marinade has just the right balance of tang from the vinegar and seasoning. And there’s one ingredient in this marinade that I’m sure you won’t be able to guess.
- Minutes to Make : This best chicken marinade is perfect to make a day or two ahead and it is ready to go.
- Easy Ingredients: This grilled chicken drumsticks recipe uses easy ingredients.
- Family Friendly: This easy grilled chicken marinade is perfect for your family barbecues as it produces moist and tender chicken.
- Adaptable: Can make it hotter or sweeter if you wish. Make it your favorite grilled chicken recipe.
If you’re looking for more marinade recipes, try these Grilled Pork Chops Marinade, Balsamic Marinade Pork Tenderloin and Marinated Grilled Pork Loin.
How long do I let the chicken marinade for optimum flavor?
Believe it or not you can over marinate chicken and will make it mushy. Especially with acidic marinades. Never marinate for more than 24 hours. Two to six hours is ideal.
Ingredient Notes for Grilled Chicken Legs
The marinade helps to keep the chicken juicy and flavorful. Can be cooked on a grill, in the oven, or even air fried.
- Large Egg: Yep! An egg is an amazing addition to the marinade.
- Vegetable Oil: Use any type of oil that you like, olive oil, avocado oil etc.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: This is the acid that tenderizes the protein.
- Poultry seasoning: Here is a link to my favorite recipe or you can buy your favorite.
- Chicken Drumsticks: These are the star of the show, no fork required.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
Variations and Substitutions for Fireman Chicken
While the classic Cornell chicken recipe is undeniably delicious, there’s always room for experimentation! Here are some ideas to put a unique spin on this classic recipe:
- Citrus Twist: Add grated zest of lemon or orange to the marinade for a bright, refreshing flavor.
- Herbaceous Delight: Incorporate fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, or oregano into the marinade.
- Spicy Kick: Add red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, or your favorite hot sauce for a touch of heat.
- Sweet and Tangy: Introduce a subtle sweetness with honey or maple syrup, balancing the acidity of the vinegar.
Special Equipment Needed for Grilled Chicken Drumsticks
- Grill: There is just something special about something cooked on the grill.
Chicken Leg Pro Tip
Remove any excess skin or fat for even marinade penetration.
How to Make Grilled Drumsticks
These are the basic steps for making Cornell chicken recipe. Refer to the full, printable recipe card below for detailed instructions.
1. Make the Best Grilled Chicken Marinade
First, in a large bowl whisk the egg, then add the vegetable oil, stir in remaining ingredients until combined.
2. Poke the Chicken and Place the Chicken in Marinade
Then use a fork to poke the chicken all over, this allows the marinade to get into the chicken. Place in a zip top bag and pour in half the marinade. Allow to marinade for 3 to 24 hours. Place the remaining marinade in an airtight container and refrigerate.
3: Grill and Cook the Chicken
Finally, grill the chicken over indirect heat, basting with the reserve marinade every 5 to 10 minutes. Once the meat reaches 150 degrees, place on direct heat and grill on all sides to crisp. When the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees on a meat thermometer, it is done.
BBQ Chicken Drumsticks Recipe FAQs
Before grilling, pat your chicken dry with paper towels. This helps achieve crispy skin.
Of course, chicken wings, legs, breasts are all good choices and will benefit from this marinade.
Believe it or not, there was a time when drumsticks were thicker and shaped more like the lower part of a chicken leg. People noticed the similarity and the name stuck
The shelf life in the refrigerator depends on the ingredients and storage conditions. It will typically last for 5 days when stored in an airtight container or bag.
Expert Tips for Making This Chicken Drumsticks on the Grill Recipe
- Add Honey to the grilled chicken legs recipe: This sweet flavor is perfection on the chicken.
- Acid: Lemon juice or lime juice can replace the vinegar in this bbq chicken marinade, garnish with lemon slices.
- Variation tip: Crushed garlic cloves are wonderful in this chicken leg marinade.
- Alternate cooking method tip: Bake the chicken in the oven or cook in the air fryer for 20 minutes at 380 degrees. This air fry method works well.
- Dietary consideration tip: Use boneless, skinless chicken breast for white meat or boneless, skinless chicken thighs for dark meat.
More Chicken Recipes
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Marinade for Grilled Chicken Drumsticks
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Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cups cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 12 chicken legs
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk the egg.
- Add the vegetable oil to the egg and whisk until fully combined.
- Stir in remaining ingredients until combined.
- Use a fork to poke the chicken all over, allowing the marinade to get into the meat.
- Place the chicken legs in a zip top bag.
- Pour half of the marinade over the chicken and allow it to marinate for 3-24 hours.
- Place the rest of the marinade in an air tight container or jar; refrigerate.
- Grill marinated chicken over indirect heat, basting with the reserved marinade every 5-10 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 150 degrees.
- Once chicken is at 150 degrees, place on direct heat and grill on all sides to crisp the skin.
- When the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees, remove from the heat.
Christina’s Notes
- Add Honey: This sweet flavor is perfection on the chicken.
- Acid: Lemon juice or lime juice can replace the vinegar, garnish with lemon slices.
- Variation tip: Crushed garlic cloves are wonderful in this marinade.
- Alternate cooking method tip: Bake the chicken in the oven or cook in the air fryer for 20 minutes at 380 degrees. This air fry method works well.
- Dietary consideration tip: Use boneless, skinless chicken breast for white meat or boneless, skinless chicken thighs for dark meat.
- Scale the recipe: Simply adjust the serving size in the recipe card and the ingredients will update automatically.
- Make your own All Purpose Seasoning: When a recipe calls for All Purpose Seasoning, you can use my homemade All Purpose Seasoning recipe or substitute salt and pepper to taste.
- Meat doneness: I always use a meat thermometer to test for doneness when cooking meat.
- Use unsalted butter: I use unsalted butter so I can control the salt level in the recipe.
- Preheat the oven: Unless otherwise noted, always preheat your oven before baking.
For more helpful information about this recipe, such as variations, substitutions and other pro-tips, check out the blog post.