Recipe Ownership

Commenters over at Serious Eats raise an interesting discussion: at what point does a recipe become your own? That is to say if you make a recipe from a cookbook or a magazine multiple times and your friends really like it, can you call it yours?

Years ago I took a barbecue class with my aunt. One of the recipes we learned was a brined grilled chicken that was the class favorite by far. I have made the recipe hundreds of times since, and friends, family, and neighbors request it frequently.

I didn’t create the recipe, and I don’t modify it much when I make it. Still, everybody calls it Frank’s chicken. Is this fair?