These finger licking, tender and juicy Grilled Chicken Lollipops will be the big hit at your 4th of July picnic, game day or tailgate. The slightly spicy rub mixed with a sweet Hawaiian BBQ Sauce creates the delicious flavor that gets nothing but high 5's!
1-2tsp Dry Rubwe used Dizzy Pig Spicy Pineapple Head Seasoning
Hawaiian BBQ Sauce
⅓cup Pineapple Juice
¼cup Rum
¼cup Teriyaki Sauce
¼ cup Ketchup
2 cloves Garlicminced
1tbsp Brown Sugar
⅛ tsp Grated Gingerfinely grated (it is a moist type paste texture, very wet to the touch)
1tbspCornstarch*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
Tip: If the chicken is cooking too fast on the outside but internal temperature isn't close to 150°F yet, place the chicken on the indirect heat source. They will cook a little slower but the chicken will not burn.Storage: Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in a covered container. Sauce Storage: Store the sauce in the refrigerator until ready to use. Don't use leftover sauce if you dunked the chicken in it. You don't want cross-contamination. If you think you might have too much sauce, only use half at a time so you can save some for dipping or for later. Freezer-Friendly Sauce: The sauce can be made well ahead of time and frozen in a Rubbermaid container or Ziploc freezer bags. Remove the night before and place in the refrigerator to defrost. Meal Prep: Cut the chicken and prep it the morning or day before. Store in the refrigerator in a sealed/covered container. Use Chicken Thighs: If you aren't a huge fan of chicken legs, try using the exact same technique for the chicken thighs as the bone runs through the middle just the same and you won't encounter the level of cartilage that you do on the chicken drumstick.