Tonight’s the night to sink your teeth into these ultimate tender and juicy grilled chicken lollipops with Hawaiian BBQ Sauce. The method is quick and easy yet yields a dish impressive enough for your next block party or game day.
Chicken drumsticks, one of the most budget-friendly and versatile meats, are turned into a photo-worthy dish using a super easy method. Add the light smoky flavor from grilling and a Hawaiian BBQ sauce glaze for a meal that is guaranteed to taste even better than it looks!
The simple preparation and impressive display make chicken lollipops perfect for block parties, game days, tailgating, or any other opportunity where you want to strut your stuff without much effort.
Make the lollipops non-spicy for a kid-friendly version. Most kids already love chicken, so this will be an easy sell!
🍗 Ingredients
🛒Chicken Drums | These are inexpensive and available in any grocery store.
PRO TIP: Look in your meat department for drumsticks that are already cut down.
🛒Rub | I used the Spicy Pineapple Head from Dizzy Pig. It starts off sweet and has a spicy finish. My Yukatan dry rub and the all-purpose dry rub for grilling will also work great if you’re looking for an easy homemade option.
🛒Hawaiian BBQ Sauce | This is so delicious, it isn’t even funny! The rum adds a lot of flavor, and the pineapple juice and ketchup combine for the sweet notes, while the teriyaki sauce, garlic, and ginger bring the tangy notes. This is a MUST-TRY recipe.
- Rum
- Pineapple juice
- Ketchup
- Teriyaki sauce
- Brown Sugar
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Cornstarch (optional, for making a thicker sauce)
⏲️ Equipment and Tools
✔️Grill – All the standard grill types work here.
✔️Small Cast Iron Dutch Oven – This is for the sauce but feel free to use any small Dutch oven pan you’ve got.
✔️Half Moon Heat Deflector: Use a lined half-moon shaped ceramic heat deflector directly on the grill grate to create a two-zone grilling surface.
🔥 Instructions
🍗 Trimming the Chicken Legs
👉Step 1: Pull all the chicken skin down from the smaller end.
👉Step 2: Take the chicken drumsticks and cut around the smaller end of the leg to slice the skin and the cartilage away from the bone. Then, cut away any excess cartilage. You can use kitchen shears or a sharp knife – this is an easy task if you have the proper tools!
👉Step 3: Cut the large/fat size tip cartilage off. This will allow it to have an even bottom and stand up.
👉Step 4: Push all the excess skin down to create a round section. This will make the drumstick look like an upside-down lollipop shape.
👉Step 5: Make sure it is steady so it will be able to stand on the grill. If not, trim some more of the cartilage.
🥣Hawaiian BBQ Sauce
👉Step 1: Add all the ingredients, except ginger and cornstarch to a small Dutch oven. Cook on the stovetop on high heat until it boils. Reduce the heat to simmer and allow to cook for 10-15 minutes. It will start to reduce and thicken just a little bit.
Note: Decide if you want a thin/wet sauce or if you want it thicker sauce, continue to step 2.
👉Step 2 (Optional): If you want a thicker sauce, mix one tablespoon of cornstarch and one tablespoon of water. Add this to the sauce and allow it to cook for a few minutes to thicken.
Note: Our sauce was thin this time by choice because we wanted a thin glaze. We also love a great, thick sauce. Both options work great.
👉Step 3: Finely grate the fresh ginger. Stick to the fresh variety for a bright flavor.
👉Step 4: Remove the sauce, add the finely grated ginger, and give it a good stir.
♨️ Grilling
Always start with a clean grill grate. We love to use our own DIY Fire Starters to make a quick fire.
👉Step 1: Heat up the grill to medium-high heat and set up an indirect heat station. We will cook the chicken drumettes over direct heat at the beginning and then move them to the indirect side to finish cooking without burning.
Note: I set a lined half-moon shaped ceramic heat deflector directly on the grill grate to create a two-zone grilling surface. One side of the grill was direct heat, and the stone side was indirect heat.
👉Step 2: Add the chicken legs and seasoning to a large Ziploc bag or mixing bowl. Mix well so the chicken is evenly coated with dry rub.
👉Step 3: Place the chicken on the direct heat side of the grill for 10-15 minutes and let it cook until it reaches almost 150°F. We don’t want them COMPLETELY cooked at this point. The benefit of cutting the cartilage is that these legs will stand upright. That means we can fit a lot more on the grilling surface.
👉Step 4: Remove one chicken leg at a time and dunk it into the BBQ sauce. Place it on the indirect heat side of the grill to finish cooking. The dunking technique provides much better coverage than just brushing the sauce on. Dunk and place back on the grill 1-3 times for each chicken lollipop until golden brown.
👉Step 5: Remove the chicken from the grill when the temperature reaches 165°F. Let the lollipops rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
🍱 Storage
If there are leftovers, store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in a covered container. Reheat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, or until heated through.
🔪 Meal Prep
We love offering up meal prep options to make recipes faster. This one is no different.
✔️BBQ Sauce | Make the sauce and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days ahead.
✔️Drumsticks | French and season the chicken drums the day before and store in a sealed container for up to 24 hours.
🍖 Substitutions
👍Chicken Drumsticks Substitute | Change up the poultry and make these with turkey legs instead of chicken. They will need to be cooked longer as they are much bigger, but the presentation of these at a tailgate party or game day will cause your friends to reach for more than one.
👍Spices / Rub Options | Changing the seasoning will yield a completely different result so you can try a new combination each time you make chicken lollipops. Here are some of my favorite spices and rubs for chicken:
- Jerk Seasoning
- Lemon Pepper
- Smoked Paprika
- Smoked Salt
- Cajun
- Chipotle Lime
👍BBQ Sauce Options | The same can be said about the barbecue sauce. Below are some popular flavors, but don’t shy away from trying others that you love.
- White
- Honey
- Korean
- Mustard
- Jalapeño
- Cherry
- Maple Bourbon
- Blueberry
Related Recipes
Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also stay in touch with me through social media by following me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!
Grilled Chicken Lollipops
Equipment
- Grill
- Small Cast Iron Dutch Oven
Ingredients
Chicken Lollipops
- 10 Chicken Legs
- 1-2 tsp Dry Rub we used Dizzy Pig Spicy Pineapple Head Seasoning
Hawaiian BBQ Sauce
- ⅓ cup Pineapple Juice
- ¼ cup Rum
- ¼ cup Teriyaki Sauce
- ¼ cup Ketchup
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 tbsp Brown Sugar
- ⅛ tsp Grated Ginger finely grated (it is a moist type paste texture, very wet to the touch)
- 1 tbsp Cornstarch *optional* see comments*
Instructions
Hawaiian BBQ Sauce
- Add all the rum, Teriyaki sauce, ketchup, minced garlic, and brown sugar to a small dutch oven. Cook on the stovetop on high heat until it boils. Reduce the heat to simmer and allow to cook for 10-15 minutes. It will start to reduce and thicken just a little bit. **Decide if you want a thin/wet sauce or if you want it thicker sauce, continue to STEP TWO.
- (Optional) If you want a thicker sauce, combine 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water. Add the slurry to the sauce and allow it to cook for a few minutes to thicken.
- Finely grate the ginger.
- Turn off the heat, add the grated ginger, and give it a good stir. Set aside.
Trimming the Chicken Lollipops
- Pull all the chicken skin down from the smaller end.
- Take each chicken leg and cut around the smaller end of the leg to remove the skin and the cartilage from the bone. Cut away any excess cartilage using a kitchen shears or a sharp knife.
- Cut the cartilage off the large/fat end of the chicken to create a flat surface. Push all the excess skin down along the bone to the meat end to create a round ball that resembles an upside down lollipop.
- Test each leg to see if it stands upright. If not, cut some more cartilage.
Grilling
- Heat the grill to 375°F and create a two-zone grilling surface. I used a half-moon shaped ceramic heat deflector to make an indirect heat cooking zone. You will need both direct heat and indirect heat to make the chicken lollipops.
- Add the trimmed chicken legs and seasoning to a Ziploc bag. Seal the bag, and give it a good shake for the seasoning to evenly coat the chicken.
- Stand up the legs over the direct heat and grill for 10-15 minutes or until their internal temperature reaches about 150°F.
- Remove one chicken leg at a time and dunk it into the BBQ sauce. Place it on the indirect section of the grill to finish cooking. You can dunk the legs 1-3 times during this time. They are done when the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Remove from the grill, rest for 5-10 minutes, and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Jason’s been firing up the grill for over 30 years after graduating from the US Coast Guard Academy. His love of finely-grilled steak and chicken led him to buy his first Weber grill to put on his apartment patio in 1992. Each military move led to a new grill (a mixture of gas and charcoal) until he fell in love with the Big Green Egg in 2008. Since then, he has added another 4 grills to the collection. Yes, he has a problem. Jason loves smoking in the ceramic BGE with exotic woods including olive wood from Egypt and hard to find varieties such as sassafras and orange wood. Jason takes the term “foodie” to a whole new level, jumping at the chance to take food tours and cooking classes during foreign travels. These have provided inspiration to incorporate new ideas into recipes when he gets back home. He has been featured in Fox News, Parade, Yahoo News, Kansas City Living and more. After retiring from the military and moving to southwest Florida, he has focused grilling and smoking locally sourced meats and fish (read: he likes to catch his own fish!)
Leave a Reply