Move Over Chicken Wings
By Andrew Zimmern
It’s the start of football season, and I’m always looking for ways to improve my game day spread. Chicken wings are great, but this one is a winner. It’s what I like to call a chicken lollipop, an easy frenching technique where you scrape the meat away from the leg bone to create a lollipop shape. The chicken will be more succulent, easy to eat, and let’s face it, more fun with its built-in bone handle. I like to season them with mayonnaise, which helps them brown beautifully in the oven, and my Grill Magic blend, a Moroccan-inspired smoky, sweet, earthy seasoning mix. Serve with a side of homemade ranch, and you’ve just scored a touch down.
Chicken Lollipops with Homemade Ranch
Ingredients
- 12 chicken Legs (smaller ones work best)
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons Andrew Zimmern’s Grill Magic seasoning
- Salt and pepper
Ranch Dressing
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons Andrew Zimmern Lemon-Shallot seasoning
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- Salt
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
French each chicken leg. With a sharp knife, cut at the base of the knuckle, rotating the leg to cut all around. Make sure all of the tendons are trimmed. Press down on the meat to expose a couple inches of bare bone.
Place in a large bowl and add the mayonnaise and Grill Magic seasoning. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat evenly.
Stand upright a wire rack (bone side up). Place a sheet tray on the bottom rack of your oven to catch the drippings. Place the wire rack with the chicken legs on top of the middle rack of your oven. This allows the heat to circulate all around the chicken legs, and will make nice and crispy and caramelized.
Cook for about 20 minutes, or until the skin is crisp and the meat is cooked through.
Meanwhile, make the ranch dressing. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, lemon, juice, Lemon-Shallots seasoning and sour cream. Season with salt. Serve with the chicken legs.
