If you’d like chicken to snack on while watching the Super Bowl this Sunday, I have a sweet idea: Make lollipops.
Not candy on a stick, of course, but savoury lollipops where you expose the bone running through a chicken drumstick, creating a handle to eat it with. (It’s kind of like “frenching” the bones on a lamb rack.)
I barbecued the drumstick lollipops, but you could also roast them, and if preparing them in this fashion is too much fuss, you could also simply cook them as is (see Eric options below for details).
Chicken Drumstick Lollipops with Smoky Chipotle BBQ Sauce
Chicken drumsticks “frenched” to expose the bone, creating a lollipop-like handle to grab on to when you eat them.
Preparation time: 60 minutes
Cooking time: About 56 to 61 minutes
Makes: four to six (2 to 3 drumsticks each) servings
3 chipotle peppers, minced (see Note)
1 1/2 cup ketchup
1 cup chicken stock
2 Tbsp yellow prepared mustard
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
3 tsp chili powder (divided)
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
12 chicken drumsticks
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
To make barbecue sauce, combine chipotle peppers, ketchup, stock, mustard, sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire, 2 tsp chili powder, onion and garlic powders in a small pot. Set over medium-high and bring to a gentle simmer. Lower heat as needed to maintain that gentle simmer. Simmer sauce 20 minutes, or until thickened, but still fluid enough to brush on the chicken. Remove sauce from the heat (see Eric’s options).
To prepare drumsticks, take one and use kitchen shears to cut around and through the skin and tendons at the knuckle end. Now pull the meat down toward the base of the drumstick, exposing the bone. Use a small knife to remove skin at the knuckle end. Use the shears to trim off any tendons poking out of the meat. Repeat these steps with the remaining drumsticks.
Preheat barbecue until 375 F in the chamber. Combine oil, 1 tsp chili powder, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add chicken and toss to coat. Set drumsticks on one side of your barbecue. Grill three minutes on either side, until lightly charred. Turn heat off under chicken. Leave other side of barbecue turned on. Close the lid and cook chicken about 25 to 30 minutes, until cooked through. During cooking, check temperature and ensure it stays around 375 F. When cooked, thickly brush drumsticks with barbecue sauce and heat through two minutes. Arrange chicken on a platter and serve.
Note: Canned chipotle peppers are sold in the Mexican foods aisle of grocery stores. Unused peppers can be stored in a sealed jar in the refrigerator several weeks.
Eric’s options: Make sauce a day in advance. Cool, transfer to a jar, seal and refrigerate until needed. Any leftover sauce will keep at least a week in the refrigerator. If turning drumsticks into lollipops is too much fuss, simply cook them as is. If you don’t have a barbecue, cook chicken in oven. To do so, once seasoned, set drumsticks on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake in a 375 F oven 35 minutes, or until cooked. Now thickly brush drumsticks with the barbecue sauce, bake a few minutes more, and then serve.
Eric Akis is the author of eight cookbooks. His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.
