Smoked Chicken Lollipop Recipe
2:00 - Prep 0:30 / Cook 1:30
Beginner
This Smoked Chicken Lollipop Recipe is a great way change it up from ordinary chicken legs. These chicken drumsticks have a clean bone for a handle that not only looks cool but gives your guests a non-slip grip to hold. They’re seasoned with a sweet and spicy dry rub, smoked over hickory wood pellets and basted with homemade honey bourbon barbecue sauce.
About the Cut: The drumstick is the calf part of the leg, while the thigh at the top the leg. Drumsticks and upper legs are classified as dark meat, which is richer in nutrients than white meat and contains more iron and zinc.
We made this recipe on the Rider DLX Pellet Grill, but you can make it on your grill or smoker.
18 Servings
Ingredients
Chicken
- 16-18 chicken drumsticks
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground rosemary
- > hickory wood pellets
Honey Bourbon BBQ Sauce
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/3 cup bourbon
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Preparation
List
Steps
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1.
Using a sharp knife, cut all the way around the bone and remove skin and meat.
2.
Fill the hopper with wood pellets and preheat pellet grill to 275°F in SMOKE mode.
3.
In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, chili powder, salt, black pepper and rosemary.
4.
Season chicken lollipops with the dry rub.
5.
Place drumsticks into the Drumstick & Pepper Flex Racks with the handle facing down. Cook until internal temperature reaches 165°F, about 1 hour and 30 minutes.
6.
In a small skillet, combine ketchup, honey, bourbon, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes and set aside.
7.
Brush chicken lollipops with BBQ sauce during the last 15 minutes of cooking.
8.
Let rest for 15 minutes, then serve with more honey bourbon BBQ sauce.
Hot TipGiving your meat the time it needs to rest allows juices to redistribute, retaining moisture for tender meat. The internal temperature will continue to rise 10 to 15 degrees until it levels out and then begins to fall.
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