Smoked Chicken Lollipops

Chicken drumsticks trimmed into lollipops, wrapped in smoky bacon, seasoned to perfection, and slow-smoked on the grill before getting a sweet and sticky BBQ glaze.

Course Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 45

Cook Time 2

Total Time 2 45

Servings

Calories 553kcal

Author Breanna Stark

Ingredients

8 chicken drumsticks
2 tbsp dry rub Use any BBQ rub you have or whip up some of our ultimate rib rub (trust me it works for chicken too)
8 slices bacon
1 cup BBQ sauce

Instructions

Preheat your smoker or grill to 275°F.
To remove the skin from the drumstick, take your boning knife and cut around the entire bone about 1 to 1-½ inches from the end. Cut through the skin and tendons. It may take 2 to 3 passes in a circular motion Pull the skin upwards toward the joint and remove it from the bone. If any meat or skin remains on the bone, you can scrape it off with the end of your knife.
Grip the drumstick tightly with your right hand. Use your left hand to push down on the meat section to create the lollipop shape.
Take your poultry shears and remove any tendons and the small sharp bone at the base of the meat.
Take your knife and cut the knuckle end off. Make sure that you cut it straight to give the chicken a base to stand on.
Season the chicken on all sides with your dry rub.
Wrap the exposed portion of each bone with a small piece of aluminum foil. This will prevent the bone from burning or darkening during the cooking process.
Wrap each chicken lollipop in a strip of bacon. Secure with two toothpicks so it doesn’t move during the cooking process.
Place your chicken lollipops on the smoker with the flat side down.
Let them smoke for 1-½ to 2 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F and the bacon is crisped to your liking.
Dunk each lollipop in BBQ sauce, then place them back on the smoker for another 15-20 minutes to let the sauce get tacky.
Remove them from the smoker and serve immediately with more barbecue sauce on the side for dipping.

Video

Notes

Prepping your chicken - See the photos above if you want visuals.

Nutrition