Lollipop Chicken Legs

Here's an insanely delicious recipe, one hundred percent kid-friendly and just plain fun to make! Get ready to serve up some perfectly tender chicken legs with crispy BBQ skin as a crowd-pleasing alternative to regular old chicken legs.

Course Appetiser

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Marinate Time 30

Total Time 1 15

Servings

Calories 360kcal

Author Imma

Ingredients

Chicken Legs

2 pounds chicken legs (8-10 chicken legs)
2 tablespoons oil, or melted butter
2 tablespoons salt
4 tablespoons Creole seasoning (or your preferred poultry seasoning)
2 cups BBQ sauce (recipe follows)

BBQ Sauce

2 tablespoons onion, minced
½ teaspoon garlic, minced
1 cup ketchup
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
½ tablespoon lemon juice
¼ tablespoon chili powder
2 tablespoon brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon honey
½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
½ tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ tablespoon molasses
¼ teaspoon dry crushed pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon celery seeds

Instructions

BBQ Sauce

In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine onions and garlic and microwave for about a minute or two until the onions are soft and translucent.
Then add ketchup, vinegar, lemon juice, chili, brown sugar, honey, Worcestershire, mustard, paprika, molasses, pepper flakes, and celery seeds. Mix together until thoroughly combined. Divide the barbecue sauce into halves—one for basting and the other for serving.

The Chicken Legs

Wash and pat the drumsticks dry with paper towels.
Place each chicken drumstick on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife or a pair of kitchen shears, cut right through the tendons around the bottom end of the bone. Push down the meat towards the top end of the drumstick and then remove the joint by bending it back and pulling it out. It will be a little tough. You could use kitchen shears to cut it off. Then use a knife to scrape off any skin left on the bone.
Turn the chicken leg around and cut off a little bit of the cartilage on the meaty side of the leg to ensure that it can stand upright.
Place the chicken in a large bowl and add oil, Creole seasoning, and salt.
Mix well until well coated and let it marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350℉/177℃.
Place chicken leg meat-side down on a cookie rack over a tray lined with foil paper.
Bake chicken legs for 20 minutes (until the skin starts to crisp and the fat renders).
Take the chicken legs out of the oven and baste generously with one part of the barbecue sauce.
Return chicken legs to the oven and bake for another 10 minutes turning the pan midway to ensure it browns evenly.
Make sure the internal temperature of the meat is at least 165℉/75℃.
Take chicken legs out of the oven and serve with fresh BBQ sauce.

Notes

Pressed for time? You can go ahead and use your favorite store-bought BBQ sauce.
Cover the bony part of the chicken leg with aluminum foil for easy handling.
Hate wasting those extra chicken leg bits you cut off? Then don't! Use the scraps from the chicken legs to make homemade chicken broth.
Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.

Nutrition