If you have ever had chicken lollipops, then you know how absolutely delicious they are. These finger-licking lollipops are made from chicken wings and are brined and then marinated. Getting the chicken wings to look this beautiful is work but well worth it. I mean look at these beauties!
Other mouthwatering chicken dishes you will enjoy are this groundnut soup with chicken, chicken stir fry with cashew, or this very popular spatchcock charcoal grilled chicken.
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What are chicken lollipops?
Chicken lollipops are basically chicken drumettes or wingettes, where the flesh has been pushed to the bottom and the bone exposed so that it looks like a… you guessed it, a lollipop. If you want to get technical then you’re simply frenching the chicken wing. The technique, of frenching, which you typically see in a rack of lamb where the bones are clean is the same technique used for chicken lollipops.
Sometimes you will have chicken drumsticks also used to make chicken lollipops. I prefer the chicken wings as they are small, easy to pick up, and either way always incredibly delicious.
Ingredients
The chicken wings need to be split into drumettes and wingettes and then frenched into a lollipop.
The rest of the ingredients are brine and the marinade for the chicken. the marinade is a mixture of scotch bonnets (not pictured below), onions, garlic, black and white peppercorns and many more.
How to turn chicken wings into lollipops
There are several steps to an utterly delicious chicken lollipop and the first is to make the lollipops from chicken wings.
In order to french the chicken wings, first separate the drumettes from the wingettes and dicard the wing tips. You can either have your butcher do this for you or do it yourself.
For the drumettes, cut around the top of the bone and then push the flesh downwards carefully with a knife. Make sure to clean the bone which sticks out so that it looks neat. In the recipe, I chop off the joint bit of the bone after I am done.
For the wingettes, there are two bones, one of which needs to be removed. Cut out the smaller bone carefully and try wiggling it out and then removing it. Leave the other bone intact. Just like the drumettes, push the flesh down with a knife and clean up the bone.
Once the lollipops are ready, it is time to brine them for at least 4 hours but ideally overnight.
The next step is to marinate the chicken overnight. A full list of ingredients for the marinade as well as the brine can be found in the recipe card.
The chicken is then fried by lightly dredging it in a mix of flour and cornstarch. This makes the outer lollipop slightly crispy, while the inside remains juicy.
Variations
- Chicken drumsticks - If you do not have chicken wings, you can use drumsticks. However as these are typically larger, you will need to adjust your cook times accordingly.
- Egg white & breadcrumbs - this is also great to use instead of flour and cornstarch. In this case, season the egg whites like you would the flour and then dip the wings in the egg and then in the breadcrumbs.
- Yoghurt marinade - if you want your chicken lollipops extra tender, add some yoghurt to your marinade - this will tenderise the chicken.
Tips
- Prepare the frenching of the chicken wings ahead of time and then freeze until you are ready to use.
- You can leave out the brining process and add some yoghurt to the marinade if you want to quicken this process and still want tender lollipops.
- If you find that before frying, your lollipops are looking a bit wonky, you can shape and mould then with your palms, so that they look a bit rounder.
Chicken Lollipop Recipe
Ingredients
- chicken wings separated into drumettes and wingettes
- vegetable oil for frying
- 100 grams flour
- 3 teaspoons cornstarch
Brine
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns crushed
- rosemary small stalk
- 2 tablespoons sea salt
Marinade
- white peppercorns
- black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 2 tablespoons ginger grated or paste
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 medium onion
- spring onions small bunch
- salt
Instructions
Making the brine
- To 1.5 liters of water, add the sea salt, a small sprig of rosemary, and the black pepper.
- Bring to a boil and then turn off the heat and leave to cool.
Preparing the lollipops
- Take one of the drumettes and cut around the bone near the smaller end.
- Push the flesh down with a sharp knife until the bone is exposed and the flesh is at bottom
- Clean up the bone and if necessary cut off the ends.
- For the wingettes, remove one of the two bones and leave the other one intact.
- Cut about ⅕ down the length of the wing between the two bones.
- Wiggle and move the bone until it becomes loose and can easily be removed.
- Just like with the drumettes, cut around the remaining bone and then push down with a knife until the flesh is at the bottom.
- Clean up all the exposed bone and tidy up.
Brining the chicken
- Once the brine is cool, pour over the lollipops and store in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
Marinating the lollipop
- Blend all the ingredients for the marinade.
- Pour the brine away and then pour the marinade over the lollipops.
- Leave to marinade overnight (about 8 hours) in the fridge.
Frying the lollipops
- Mix the flour with the cornstarch along with a pinch of salt and black pepper
- In a deep pan or pot, fry the chicken lollipops until golden brown (about 7-10 minutes). See note 1.
- Serve warm.
Annmarie Way says
How do you reheat it if you cook 2 hours before
Edinam says
You can reheat them gently in the oven if you have cooked them ahead of time.