Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Lollipops

These smoky, sweet, and bacon-wrapped chicken lollipops are a delicious way to make a scene at your next backyard barbecue. With a few simple steps you can transform your everyday chicken drumstick cooks into something with a little more flair. So, what is a chicken lollipop? Essentially it’s a frenched chicken winglet or drumstick that has the meat cut loose from the bone end and pushed down, creating a lollipop appearance. This recipe comes from our friend Dylan Kucmierowski and his Yoder Smokers YS640S pellet grill, and we’ve got a video link below so you can watch his technique! Thanks, Dylan!

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Recipe by @dylank_official on Instagram
Video tutorial here: https://www.instagram.com/dylank_official

INGREDIENTS

  • Chicken drumsticks
  • Bacon (thin cut)
  • Johnboy and Billy mild grillin sauce
  • Johnboy and Billy Signature Chicken Rub

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Set smoker to 250°F
  2. Cut from the thin part of the drumstick and take the meet off the knuckle
  3. Push down the meat to make a lollipop shape
  4. Season generously with your chicken rub
  5. Use two slices of bacon to wrap the meat
  6. Cover the cleaned bones in tin foil so they don’t burn!!
  7. Place the chicken on a hanging rack or standing up in your smoker
  8. Let smoke until 100°F internal temp
  9. Crank up the heat on your smoker to 400°F
  10. Allow the bacon to crisp up and chicken meat to cook to 175°F internal (yes the chicken will still be juicy and fall off the bone, I cook all my wings to this temp!)
  11. Near the end of the cook, baste the chicken in the grillin sauce to ensure the sauce doesn’t burn! I do this about 3-4 times to get a nice coating!
  12. Allow the chicken to rest for about 15 minutes and enjoy!!