Bacon Wrapped Chicken Drumsticks
I will start by confessing that I am not a big fan of drumsticks, but I believe that almost any food item can be delicious if you know how to make the most out of it.
These chicken lollipops/drumsticks are a fusion between Indian and American cuisine, since it has elements from both of them. The idea of wrapped bacon is not mine, since my husband was the one who asked me to prepare it while he recalled watching a video-reel sort of on youtube with this method.
Tandoori chicken, wrapped in low fat bacon (I used jamón, the Romanian one, not the Spanish one) and dipped into a delicious sticky sauce flavoured with a little bit of whisky. Please add whisky to your barbecue sauce, I wad mind-blown to see how much flavour and depth it can add to a simple sauce!
- 8 Pieces chicken drumsticks
- 2 tablespoons greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste (you can also use powedered garlic and ginger, or finely chopped garlic and ginger)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon tandoori masala (or any other type of masala/bbq mix for chicken)
- salt and pepper (as per your taste)
- 8 Pieces bacon (or jamon, prosciutto etc)
- 100 grams ketchup
- 2 tablespoons agave syrup
- 30 milliliters whiskey (optional, but trust me, it really gives an amazing flavour)
- Forming the lollipops
In order to form the lollipops, you will have to cut the skin from the knuckles and push it upwards, while removing the white tendons with some scissors or simply by pushing them upwards as well (they will keep popping out, so it is better to get rid of them with the scissors or some tweezers, whatever is easier for you). Do the same for all the drumsticks and leave them aside while you prepare the marinade.
Check my reel here to see the method.
- Preparing the mariande
In a bowl, mix the ginger garlic paste, yogurt, lemon juice, tandoori masala and some salt and add it to the chicken lollipops. Mix everything well making sure that every piece is coated with the marinade. Marinate for at least 30 minutes in the fridge or overnight.
- Preparing the wrapped drumsticks
Take one piece of chicken and wrap the bacon all around it (do not wrap it around the bone, of course). Fix the bacon with a skewer and repeat the same steps for the other 7 drumsticks.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius and take out the oven grill. Take a tray, line it with baking sheet and place your drumsticks on it, so that it will be easier for you to fix them in the oven rack. Take every drumstick and push it gently by the knuckle in such a way so that it will remain suspended between the 2 lines of the oven rack. When all the drumsticks are fixed, you should lift up the rack and see them all hanging. Place a tray with baking sheet underneath to make sure the collected juice ends up in the tray and not in the oven, messing it up.
Why should you bother to use this method? Although it is a little bit of hassle, it ensures the fact that the drumsticks will lose most of their fat during cooking, while they'll still be moist and delicious. It's the closest grilling method I could find so far.
Bake for 30 minutes or until almost done. We will bake the drumsticks 10 more minutes with the sauce.
- Preparing the sauce
In a bowl, mix the ketchup, agave syrup and whiskey and once the drumsticks are almost done, remove them from the rack and dip them in the sauce. Place them on a tray lined with baking sheet and then bake them for 5-10 more minutes until the sauce caramelizes slightly. Once they are out, brush them with extra sauce. They are insanely good, and that comes from a person who is not a fan of drumsticks! So if this convinced me, it will convince you too.
Serve with chopped coriander or simply as they are. Enjoy!