January 26, 2025
Main Dishes

Smoked Chicken Lollipops

Smoked chicken lollipops are a fun and flavorful twist on classic drumsticks, featuring tender, smoky meat with a caramelized glaze that’s perfect for entertaining. These handheld bites are easy to prepare and pack a punch of juicy, savory goodness in every bite!

Why This Recipe Works

Even Cooking: When you push the meat to one end of the bone, it creates an even thickness throughout, eliminating the common problem of overcooked tips and undercooked sections near the joint. Combined with slow smoking at 250°F, this smoked chicken lollipops recipe ensures the meat cooks uniformly and stays super tender and juicy!

Versatile & Delicious: Smoked chicken lollipops have the perfect combination of smoky flavor, crispy exterior, and tender meat, made even better by the sweet-sticky BBQ glaze. Their convenient “handle” makes them perfect as passed appetizers at parties, but they’re equally satisfying as a main course.

Supplies Needed

Sharp boning knife
Paper towels
Small mixing bowl
Saucepan
Meat thermometer
Smoker
Tongs
Basting brush

Ingredients

Chicken Drumsticks: Drumsticks are essential here since they will serve as our “lollipops”!
Olive Oil: Use olive oil to help the spices stick nicely before smoking.
Spices: I used kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and paprika to season the chicken before smoking and adding the glaze.
BBQ Glaze: For a BBQ glaze, use your favorite BBQ sauce, honey, and butter. I like to use a homemade sauce like my Memphis BBQ sauce recipe.

What are chicken lollipops?

Chicken lollipops are a way to prepare chicken drumsticks where the meat is pushed to one end of the bone (frenching), creating an appetizer resembling a lollipop. The technique involves cutting around the narrow end of the drumstick and pushing the meat upward to form a ball at the top. The exposed bone serves as a handle, making it easier to eat than the average chicken drumstick!

Drumstick Preparation

Prep the Drumsticks: Using a sharp knife, cut around the base of each drumstick to remove the skin and tendons, pushing the meat upward to form a “lollipop” shape. Trim any excess for a clean presentation.
Pat & Oil: Pat the drumsticks dry with paper towels and lightly coat them with olive oil to help the seasoning stick.
Season: In a small bowl, combine kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika. Generously season the chicken lollipops with the spice mixture.
Preheat: Set your smoker to 250°F and use a mild wood like cherry or apple for a subtly sweet, smoky flavor.
Add Chicken to Smoker: Arrange the chicken lollipops on the smoker grate, ensuring they’re not touching.
Smoke: Smoke for 90 minutes to 2 hours, or until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 165°F.
Increase the Temp: Increase the grill temperature to 425 F.
Make Glaze: In a saucepan, combine BBQ sauce, honey, and butter over medium heat, stirring until smooth.
Dip & Smoke: Dip each lollipop into the glaze, coating it evenly. Return them to the smoker for an additional 15-20 minutes to allow the glaze to set.
Remove: Once the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 175-180 F. for tender, juicy meat, remove the lollipops from the smoker.
Serve: Let them rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Smoking Tips

When smoking chicken, I recommend using a mild wood like cherry or apple for a subtly sweet, smoky flavor!
The frenching process is crucial – take your time with the initial cut and use the back of your knife to scrape the bone clean. Don’t worry if it isn’t perfect!
For a richer, stickier finish, glaze the lollipops twice, letting the first layer set for 10 minutes before adding a second coat.
For the best smoked chicken lollipops, cook until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 175 to 180 degrees F. If you aren’t sure if they are done, use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature!

Smoked chicken lollipop with aji picante

What To Serve With Smoked Chicken Lollipops

These smoked chicken lollipops pair beautifully with so many dishes! You can serve lollipop chicken drumsticks as appetizers along with a spread of other appetizers like my bison meatballs and smoked BLT dip.

They are also great as a meal, though! For a casual meal, serve them alongside a tangy dill pickle coleslaw and smoked corn on the cob. The creamy, crunchy slaw provides a perfect contrast to the sticky-sweet meat! For a heartier meal, you can serve them over a bed of fluffy mashed potatoes with Italian roasted vegetables. The potatoes will beautifully soak up any leftover glaze!

Don’t forget the dipping sauces, too. While these lollipops are perfect on their own, offering a variety of dips like Alabama white sauce, BBQ ranch, or extra BBQ sauce adds even more flavor!

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