Chicken Lollipop Drumsticks are juicy, tender, and peeled back for easy, mess-free eating. Marinated and caramelized to sticky perfection, they're perfect with your favorite dipping sauces. Serve alongside savory chimichurri rice or a green pea salad for a complete, crowd-pleasing meal.
Why You'll Love This Chicken Lollipop Drumstick Recipe
With just a few minutes doing some butcher trimming, you can have chicken lollipop drumsticks your family will clamor for.
Savory marinated chicken drumsticks are trimmed into lollipop shapes, so they're easy to pick up and eat. Marinating makes these chicken drumsticks juicy and tender. You can use any marinade you love. These savory chicken lollipops are:
- Economical. Chicken legs are a budget friendly cut of meat.
- Easy. Lollipopping chicken drumsticks (or chicken thighs!) is quite simple.
- Delicious. With a marinade, these chicken drumsticks turn our juicy and tender.
- Versatile. Great for a main meal, party appetizers, or take to a picnic.
Ingredients Overview
This lollipop chicken recipe is popular all year round, but it's especially popular during the summer months when people are looking for barbecue, smoking, and grilling recipes. Using an air fryer to cook these chicken lollipops keeps the heat out of the kitchen any time of the year also!
- Chicken drumsticks
- Chili powder - Any basic chili powder blend.
- Red Pepper flakes - Optional, but great for flavor!
- Garlic powder - Or garlic granules, or finely minced fresh garlic.
- Ketchup - Or, tomato paste.
- Soy sauce - Or you can use Teriyaki sauce or Hoisin sauce.
- Lemon juice - Fresh squeezed, or use vinegar.
- Paprika - Domestic sweet, Smoked paprika, or Hungarian paprika.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How To Make Lollipop Chicken Drumsticks
First, use a sharp knife to transform the raw chicken drumsticks into lollipops.
How To Make a Chicken Lollipop
- Rinse and dry the chicken drumsticks. Cut off the joint at the foot end with a sharp knife.
- Make incisions near where the joint was and pull tendons and meat downward toward the fat end of the drumstick.
Marinate The Chicken
- Put the trimmed chicken drumsticks in a bowl and add the salt, chili powder, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, ketchup (or tomato paste), soy sauce, lemon juice, paprika, and olive oil.
- Stir to mix and coat the chicken lollipops, set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes for extra flavor.
Bake In An Air Fryer or Oven
- Set your air fryer at 370F, or your conventional oven to 400F.
- Place the chicken on a rack in the air fryer or on a baking tray for your conventional oven.
Flip and Baste
- Bake 20 minutes in the air fryer, and then flip, baste, and cook for an additional 10 minutes. If using the conventional oven, bake for 30 to 35 minutes, then check with an Instant Read meat thermometer.
- Chicken lollipops are ready to remove from the air fryer or oven when the thermometer reads 165F, or the meat juices run clear when pierced in the thickest part of one the largest lollipop.
Serving Suggestions
Chicken lollipop drumsticks are a delicious and crispy appetizer or main course. They are perfect for a variety of occasions, from casual gatherings to special celebrations. Serve these tasty treats with your favorite dipping sauce, such as a tangy sweet and sour sauce, a creamy ranch dressing, or a spicy buffalo sauce.
For a complete meal, pair them with a side of caramelized Brussels spouts and a refreshing Apple Celery Salad.
Substitutions and Variations
Here are a few easy variations for this recipe:
- You can add different herbs and spices to the batter or marinade. You can also add different vegetables to the batter or marinade.
- Chicken thighs can also be made into lollipops that are even more substantial.
Tips for Success
- Use bone-in, skin-on chicken drumsticks for this chicken lollipop drumstick recipe. The bone and skin help to keep the chicken moist and flavorful.
- Don't overcook the chicken. Chicken lollipops should be cooked until crispy and cooked through, but still juicy and tender.
- Serve chicken lollipops with your favorite dipping sauce.
Storage Options
Here are some storage, freezing, and reheating options for this chicken lollipop drumstick recipe:
- Store lollipop chicken legs in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freeze up to 3 months.
- To reheat the chicken lollipops, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight. Then, bake at 350 or air fry the chicken until it is heated through.
Related Recipes
- Italian Seasoning Substitute Recipe
- Honey Gold Wings
- Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings
- Air Fryer Chicken Leg Quarters
Frequently Asked Questions
You can use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken. Chicken is cooked through when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Bake in a conventional oven at 400 F for approximately 30 to 35 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads 165F, or the juices run clear when the meat is pierced.
The chicken lollipops can also be grilled, air fried, pan fried, baked, or you can smoke or make bbq chicken lollipops.
Easy Side Dish Recipes
Get The Recipe!
Chicken Lollipop Drumsticks
Equipment
- Nuwave Brio Air Fryer
- Gourmia Digital Air Fryer 6 quart
- Nuwave Air Fryer 15 quart
- Nuwave Air Fryer 3 quart
- ThermoPro Thermometer
Ingredients
- 6 large chicken drumsticks
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon ketchup or substitute with tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
Lollipop the Drumsticks
- Rinse and dry the chicken drumsticks. Cut off the joint at the foot end with a sharp knife.6 large chicken drumsticks
- Make incisions near where the joint was and pull tendons and meat downward toward the fat end of the drumstick.
Marinate
- Put the trimmed chicken drumsticks in a bowl and add the salt, chili powder, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, ketchup (or tomato paste), soy sauce, lemon juice, paprika, and olive oil.½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon chili powder, ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 tablespoon ketchup, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon paprika, 2 tablespoon olive oil
- Stir to mix and coat the chicken lollipops, set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes for extra flavor.
Air Fry or Bake
- Set your air fryer at 370F, or your conventional oven to 400F.
- Place the chicken on a rack in the air fryer or on a baking tray for your conventional oven.
- Bake 20 minutes in the air fryer, and then flip, baste, and cook for an additional 10 minutes. If using the conventional oven, bake for 30 to 35 minutes, then check with an Instant Read meat thermometer.
- Chicken lollipops are ready to remove from the air fryer or oven when the thermometer reads 165F, or the meat juices run clear when pierced in the thickest part of one the largest lollipop.
Notes
- The lollipop chicken legs can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- They can be frozen for up to 3 months.
- To reheat the chicken lollipops, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight. Then, bake at 350 or air fry the chicken until it is heated through.
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