Pop Pops Clean Plate Club Chicken Recipes

BACON WRAPPED CHICKEN LOLLIPOPS

Steps:

• Preheat the smoker. Preheat your grill or smoker for indirect cooking at 225 degrees F.
• Make the chicken lollipops. Prepare your drumsticks by using a sharp knife to cut off the end of the drumstick leg, just under the bone joint. Press the meat down, away from the end of the exposed bone so the bone forms a handle for the lollipop.
• Wrap the chicken lollipops in bacon. Season the chicken meat on all sides with the sweet rub. Wrap each drumstick in a piece of bacon and either tuck the ends of the bacon or secure with a toothpick. Wrap the exposed bones tightly with a strip of aluminum foil.
• Smoke the bacon wrapped chicken lollipops. Place the chicken lollipops on the smoker, close the lid, and cook until they reach an internal temperature (not touching the bone with the thermometer) of 135 degrees F. At this point, increase the heat in your grill to 375 degrees F to crisp the bacon.
• Add the sauce and finish cooking. Close the lid and continue cooking until the internal temperature reaches 175 degrees F. Brush the lollipops on all sides of the meat with BBQ sauce. Close the lid and continue cooking until you reach an internal temperature of 185 degrees F.
• Rest and serve. Remove the lollipops to a serving platter or cutting board and allow to rest for 10 minutes before removing the foil from the bones and serving.

HONEY BOURBON CHICKEN POPS

Steps:

• Preheat a grill or smoker to 375 degrees F. (If using wood, I love cherry or apple wood.)
• Lop off about 1/4 inch from the top of a drumstick, and from the tip of the handle of the drumstick, using dry hands and a dry knife. (This way, you can stand them up straight, and it makes pulling the meat up easier.) About an inch up from end of the handle, where the bulb meets the handle, make a sharp cut that goes all the way around the handle (a 360-degree cut), making sure to cut through the skin, muscle and tendons. Push the meat up to the more bulbous end of the leg and remove the little bit of meat on the handle end. Repeat with the remaining drumsticks.
• Place the rub in a small sheet pan or flat dish and roll each drumstick in the rub. Place the drumsticks directly on the grill and cook, rotating a couple times throughout, until the internal temperature registers 165 degrees F, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Dunk each drumstick into the Glaze and stand up on the grill until the sauce is caramelized and set, another 10 to 12 minutes.
• Combine in the bourbon, ketchup, vinegar, honey, mustard and brown sugar in a small saucepot and simmer for 10 minutes.