John Wayne's Favorite Grilling Trick Involved This Liquor

Few actors loom as large as John Wayne. Legendary for his roles in such titans of the silver screen as "True Grit," "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance," and "The Searchers." During the Golden Age of Hollywood, Wayne epitomized the old school idealized version of a "man's man," and like many men of his day, his cooking prowess was deftly expressed within the confines of a fiery backyard grill. In keeping with his iconic cowboy image, Wayne loved grilled steak, but did not shy away from chicken, fish, or pork. In fact, his favorite grilling trick was performed with chicken, and fittingly for an ol' cowpoke included a bit of tequila (just 2 tablespoons). The recipe appears in "The Official John Wayne Way to Grill," a cookbook compiled by Wayne's family in 2015. 

As his youngest son, Ethan, a former actor/stuntman and current president of John Wayne Enterprises, tells it, food was prized in the Wayne household for the bonding time with family, friends, and even colleagues. As a dedicated family man, (he was the father of seven children) mealtime frequently revolved around a grill, both at home and on set after shoots. "The Duke," was often at the helm, where his children were witness to his grill time joys with cast and crew. As Ethan shared with Cowboys & Indians Magazine in 2015, "They would have a cocktail and gather around the grill. They talked, told stories, laughed, and smiled. It was in those moments when my dad really lived life. He loved it."

In addition to tequila, Wayne's marinade calls for lime juice, hot sauce, Worcestershire, freshly grated ginger, garlic-infused olive oil, dried chipotle chiles (ground), and salt. Boneless, skinless chicken breast halves marinate in this spicy, puckery concoction for 30 minutes before grilling. With the leftover marinade then set to simmer on med-high heat until reduced, and then, mixed with heavy cream before being drizzled over chicken with a cilantro garnish.

Though no sides are suggested, in the cookbook, for John Wayne's Grilled Tequila Chicken recipe, given the flavor profile of the marinade, and Wayne's enjoyment of Tex-Mex (one of this Old Hollywood stars' favorite foods), this grilled tequila chicken would go great with cilantro-lime rice, black beans, corn salsa, and grilled veggies, like bell peppers, jalapeños, or asparagus.

As to what type of tequila to use, the award-winning actor had a favorite that, luckily for you, is still available today. Sauza Conmemorativo Tequila Añejo is just one of John Wayne's favorites, along with such quintessential cowboy fare as the aforementioned steak, as well as baked beans, skillet-cooked cornbread, chili soufflé, and coffee. If you want your marinade's flavor to be as close as possible to what John Wayne would have liked, using his favorite tequila brand is a great start.

While tequila was one of the "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" star's favorite spirits, if it's not one of yours feel free to pivot to bourbon (another Wayne favorite) with these 13 ways to incorporate bourbon when grilling, according to grill masters. Above all else, do as "The Duke" would and simply enjoy time spent grilling with loved ones.