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Smoked Chicken Lollipops | Tailgate Recipe That’ll Steal the Show
Sep 17, 2025
Printable recipe below! Get ready for tailgating season with some amazing outdoor cooking! This is the perfect chicken for game day. An easy appetizer or full meal game day recipes. Used in this video: Kent's seasonings: kentrollins.com Hasty Bake Legacy 131: https://www.hastybake.com/?rfsn=5346419.73615f Use code: KENTROLLINS for 10% off \ Smokey Woods BBQ wood: smokeywoodsbbq.com 🔥Chefstemp FinalTouchX10: https://bit.ly/47U5XEt 💰use code: cowboykent20 for 20% off sitewide DJI Mic 2 https://amzn.to/4ewAHAw Cowboy Hat: Chazhatz.com For more suggested products seen in our videos click here: https://www.amazon.com/shop/cowboykentrollins ======================
View Video Transcript
0:00
Hey folks, it's tailgate season. So,
0:03
what do football fans in 1869
0:07
have in common with cowboys on the
0:09
trail? Turns out it is a lot, and it's
0:12
all about cooking on the tailgate. It's
0:15
fire, it's food, and it's feeding a crew
0:18
before the big game. Today I'm going to
0:20
show you how to take the ordinary
0:22
chicken and turn it into the most
0:24
valuable player at the tailgate and how
0:27
the chuck wagon was what the first ever
0:30
tailgate party.
0:42
You forgot your raincoat at the ball
0:44
game. Hang on, burrito dog.
0:58
Well, if you have noticed, it is cloudy.
1:01
It's a little cool. It's drizzling, but
1:03
nothing stops a big game day or a big
1:06
tailgate party. But hey, we did have to
1:09
move my age over here to the mule
1:11
because he forgot his raincoat today.
1:13
six chicken legs and I got about 61
1:17
cents a piece in them. That is pretty
1:19
cheap. It is. Now, you can buy the big
1:21
jumbo packs probably at Sam's or Costco
1:24
for even cheaper than that. So, we are
1:27
all gloved up here. So, let's talk about
1:29
this chicken leg. There is a lot of meat
1:32
on a chicken leg. And when you had them
1:35
for so many years, what was they? Fried.
1:38
And I do love fried chicken. But to me,
1:40
sometimes they could be a little tough.
1:42
Especially when we just walked out there
1:43
in the backyard and grandma said, "Grab
1:45
a chicken. We're going to have him for
1:46
lunch." But you take this leg, you cook
1:48
it right. There is so much flavor in
1:50
here that I think you get. The leg and
1:52
the thigh have become my most favorite
1:55
parts of the chicken they have. You see
1:57
this knuckle right here on top of this?
2:00
That needs to come off. So, we're going
2:02
to get us a knife and I just want you to
2:05
just start about right there and just
2:08
cut all the way around.
2:11
We got to cut through the skin, but also
2:14
them tendons. Now, then you can do this
2:16
with a good pair of kitchens scissors.
2:19
Me, I prefer a knife. You just sort of
2:21
get the feeling down in there to where
2:23
you can see there's a joint between that
2:25
knuckle and that bone. And we'll see if
2:28
we can get through here.
2:30
If I can find the right spot.
2:34
And we're just going to pull that
2:35
knuckle off there. You can see how it
2:38
just separates. Comes right off.
2:42
We'll put him right here. And then we
2:45
need to pull all this skin off that's
2:46
right here on the top. If you want to
2:48
grab a hold to that tendon, pull it out
2:50
there far as you can, which is sort of
2:52
hard to grab a hold of. And just go
2:54
ahead and cut that little rascal off
2:56
there. Get this one, too.
3:00
So there we have it. One chicken
3:02
lollipop.
3:14
So when we're talking about removing the
3:15
knuckle off the bone, it's the part of
3:17
the joint that's movable. That's what
3:19
you want to remove, the movable part.
3:28
Well, as you're trimming these up,
3:29
you'll notice this little fella right
3:30
here. He was a thinlegged chicken. He
3:33
was He probably needed some calcium in
3:35
his diet because when we broke tried to
3:37
get that knuckle off the top, it just
3:39
broke off. Well, trim that off to where
3:41
there's not a sharp point that's going
3:42
to gouge nobody or put nobody's eye out
3:44
if somebody gets in a chicken lollipop
3:46
fight. So, just watch what you're doing.
3:49
You'll be all right. But, we need to
3:50
make these little fellas as tender and
3:53
tasty as possible. So, we are what?
3:55
Gonna get the marinade bath to going.
3:57
Hey, I got a great big favor to ask you
3:59
and I need you to pay close attention
4:02
because Shannon's got really sneaky here
4:04
today and she has planted some little
4:06
football paraphernelia and props or
4:09
Easter eggs as she calls them throughout
4:11
the video. Now, see if you can find them
4:14
all and when you do, leave me a comment
4:17
down there below.
4:25
So, heard me say marinade. Uh-huh. A
4:28
marinade is something you mix and pour
4:30
over meat to make what? Flavor, but also
4:34
tender. Most marinades, if you're
4:36
dealing with chicken, they need some
4:38
kind of acid, something there to sort of
4:40
break that meat down. So, as we go
4:42
through this, we're going to have a
4:43
little acid. We're going to have a
4:44
little sweet. But, we use some of them,
4:46
what you call it, fresh herbies. We did.
4:48
I minced me three little garlic cloves,
4:50
some sprigs of thyme and rosemary, and
4:53
to that we're going to add some olive
4:55
oil. I'm wanting about I'd say pretty
4:57
close to 34 to a cup. Somebody holler
5:01
when I think that's about right. Now, I
5:04
need a little sweetness to get in there.
5:06
So, we're going to add some honey.
5:09
The acid today, ACV. Uh-huh. Whoa. The
5:14
lid was off.
5:16
That'll happen on occasion. And it don't
5:18
take much of this. About that much. Some
5:21
soy for a little more flavor and a
5:23
little more what you call it acidic
5:26
reaction.
5:28
We're going to get all this mixed
5:29
together. And to cut it one more time
5:31
with some acid, the juice of one half of
5:34
a lemon. Now, this is a pretty healthy
5:35
little lemon. We may have to squeeze him
5:37
in increments here. So, we'll see if
5:40
that'll fit in there.
5:44
And wouldn't you know, Kent probably
5:46
loaded it in there the wrong way. That's
5:47
supposed to be down there. This is
5:49
pretty fancy machine.
5:54
I'm going to marinate these four hours.
5:58
Get out there to your party. You got
5:59
plenty of time to start. But if you've
6:00
got an early morning schedule, it
6:02
doesn't hurt to marinate these the night
6:04
before. Then you can bring it all out
6:06
there to the tailgate party, ready to
6:08
throw them on the grill or the smoker
6:09
and go.
6:16
Shake and break.
6:20
We have added two new events in October.
6:22
One is Aspen Fest in Riosa, New Mexico.
6:25
The other one is at Harker Heights,
6:27
Texas. Be sure and check the website
6:29
out. We'll have all the information you
6:31
need. We'd love to see you at both of
6:32
them. But that is what I call just the
6:34
right bath for these little chickens.
6:37
They're going in the ice box. Or for me,
6:40
they're going in the Yeti ice chest.
6:42
Four hours. Then we'll get back out here
6:44
and fire it up again. Hey, while that
6:46
chicken's marinating there, getting all
6:48
tender and full of flavor. I have got
6:50
some pro tips to make your tailgating
6:52
the easiest and the best thing ever.
6:54
Now, remember, this ice chest is not
6:57
just for keeping something cold. Say
6:59
you've cooked a brisket, but you got to
7:01
transport it what, 75 miles to the game
7:03
over there. So, all you have to do, put
7:06
your little hot water in there, preheat
7:08
it. That's what we're doing. Just
7:09
warming this thing up. Dump it out. You
7:11
can store ribs in there. You can store
7:13
brisket in there, whole chicken in
7:15
there. It will keep it warm. But also,
7:17
folks, it will even cook a little more
7:19
on the transportation. And speaking of
7:21
ice chest, but not just to hold water
7:24
either, go ahead and freeze these water
7:26
bottles and then you can stick them in
7:28
here. That way you don't have loose ice.
7:30
Nothing worse than reaching in there and
7:32
soggy potato chips is floating on top.
7:35
And when they thaw out, you got cold
7:36
water to go. Y'all know one of my
7:38
biggest pet peeves, too. Paper towels in
7:41
a 40 mph breeze. They blowing all over
7:43
the country. Get you a bungee cord, run
7:46
it through there. Now, you could take
7:48
this, strap it to two ice chests in
7:50
between there to the mirrors on somebody
7:52
else's pickup and your pickup. Or you
7:54
can just take it, snap it right here to
7:57
the table, and you've got yourself a
7:59
paper towel holder.
8:02
You know, every good tailgate party
8:04
needs a good dip to go with it. And hey,
8:07
I do love me a chip and dip. And today
8:09
we are treating y'all with a bonus bite.
8:11
We are what is it? A baked bean dip.
8:14
Start off with just a can of regular old
8:17
baked beans. We're going to dump them in
8:19
there. Now, these have been drained, but
8:21
I just need you to go to mashing them up
8:22
till we get them good and smooth.
8:38
I'm going to season with our mosquite
8:40
cuz it's got that good smoky ancho
8:42
flavor to it. Now, you season with
8:44
whatever you want. I don't think it's
8:45
going to take a whole lot, but we going
8:48
to give it pretty generous shaking right
8:50
there.
8:52
This stuff could be served warm, cold,
8:54
hot. Just be sure you add it to your
8:57
stuff at the tailgate party. Everybody
8:59
will be wanting the recipe.
9:17
Well, took this out about probably 1
9:20
hour ahead of time so it could sort of
9:22
go to warming up. Got me some hardwood
9:24
lump. All the fires on one end, so that
9:27
means we're cooking indirect today. We
9:29
are. It is good. White and hot. So, just
9:32
take your one of these out. Push the
9:33
skin back down there.
9:35
Season with your favorite barbecue rub.
9:38
My favorite is our rib rub. And I give
9:41
it a pretty generous coating. I do. Make
9:45
sure you get this end of it.
9:50
And then if the little fella will pay
9:52
attention and stand up right there,
9:54
we'll get the rest of them done and on
9:56
the grill. And then we'll tend to the
9:57
rest of the fire.
10:14
cherry
10:16
and some hickory. Now, you could use
10:18
apple, but I ask you to please use a
10:20
fruit wood with this because it really
10:21
needs it. But I like a little hickory.
10:23
If you ain't got some of that, put you a
10:25
little piece of mosquite, but don't go
10:27
overboard. You can see these ain't too
10:29
big. So, we just going to put them in
10:31
there. See if we can shut the door,
10:33
mage, without burning our toes.
10:36
Fires on this end, birds on the other
10:38
end. Now, I like for let my wood in here
10:41
flame just a little before I shut that
10:43
lid. And it has done caught a ho. It
10:46
has. So, we're going to shut it up.
10:49
We're going to try to run a target
10:50
temperature today of about 250°.
10:54
Probably going to take about an hour and
10:56
45 minutes if I was guessing just right
10:58
to get that chicken to about 175. And
11:01
that is the edible temperature it says.
11:04
But what? We're going to move over here
11:05
to the hot side. Try to get about 185
11:08
out of to crisp that skin up just a
11:10
little. And then woo, we're gonna break
11:12
out the bean dip. But now is the time
11:15
for you to watch. Sit down, enjoy the
11:18
big screen TV. I got here and let's
11:20
watch the football game. It was November
11:23
6th, 1869, when two colleges, Princeton
11:26
and Rutgers, met for what we now call
11:29
the first college football game. It
11:31
didn't look much like football today. No
11:33
helmets, no scoreboard, and barely any
11:36
rules. But you know what? They did have
11:38
a crowd. People rolled in in horsedrawn
11:41
wagons, bringing baskets of ham,
11:44
biscuits, and cider. Some accounts say
11:46
folks built small fires right at the
11:48
edge of the field, cooking while the
11:50
game was playing. However, the term
11:51
tailgating wasn't used until the 1950s.
11:54
And by this time, American football had
11:57
grown in popularity, and car culture was
11:59
booming. Fans began gathering in the
12:02
parking lots, dropping their tailgates
12:04
and setting up grills, drinks, and food
12:06
before the game. By the 1960s, folks
12:09
were cooking off the back of their cars
12:11
and trucks, literally on the tailgate.
12:13
That's when the name stuck. But the
12:15
ideal of cooking from the back of a
12:17
truck, well, that's a page straight out
12:19
of the cowboy playbook. Out west, chuck
12:21
wagons were the original mobile kitchens
12:24
designed in the 1860s by a rancher named
12:27
Charles Goodnight. The Chuck Wagon had a
12:29
fold down back gate, the tailgate, that
12:32
doubled as a prep table, just like the
12:34
modern tailgate party. And that's where
12:35
the cook did his work. Beans, sourdough
12:38
biscuits, salt pork, and good, strong
12:41
coffee. And just like tailgators today,
12:43
those cowboys didn't have much space,
12:45
but they sure had style. Every tool had
12:48
a place. Fire was sacred, and feeding
12:50
your crew, that was the most important
12:52
job around. So when you light that fire
12:55
on game day, you're not just cooking
12:57
chicken or flipping burgers. You're
12:59
keeping alive a tradition that's been
13:01
burning for over 150 years. It's the
13:04
cowboy way, just with a few more team
13:06
colors and a whole lot more barbecue
13:09
sauce.
13:20
Well, we've been on an hour and 43
13:23
minutes. Exactly. I probed them with my
13:25
chef's temp. They was 177. So, we are
13:28
ready to go ahead and move these little
13:31
beautiful creations down here and give
13:34
them a little hot fire for just a little
13:36
bit to crisp up that skin. Now, I'm
13:39
going to baste half of them with
13:40
barbecue sauce and half of them ain't
13:43
going to get nothing. But, I just want
13:44
to taste that marinade. So, these three
13:46
right over here, they going to get a
13:48
little basting.
13:54
Now I'm just wanting to give them a
13:56
little color that we have. It might be
13:59
hot now. So I think I'm going to use
14:00
these.
14:02
You can see we're getting little little
14:04
char there. That's just what we needed.
14:07
It don't take long for that to set up.
14:09
Take hold.
14:11
Cuz remember any barbecue sauce that has
14:14
any sugar in it at all will burn. Just
14:17
keep rolling them around there till you
14:18
get that even color that you want. Get
14:20
that barbecue sauce to where it sets up
14:22
on that meat and then pull them off. Let
14:24
them rest a minute and then go to town.
14:26
Wrap a lip around them. They're f to
14:27
have to kick off. It's halftime, third
14:29
quarter, fourth quarter. But we're
14:30
winning. I can tell you that.
14:47
Ain't them pretty little lollipops. I
14:49
mean, they cooked up so nice. They did.
14:51
And they so simple and easy. You're
14:54
going to be the hit of the game day down
14:56
there. I mean, when you're tailgating,
14:57
but I've been waiting for one of these.
14:59
Now, look at all that. That is some
15:02
goodness.
15:02
That handy handle.
15:03
Yes. And uh I figure napkins are going
15:06
to be required.
15:15
Touchdown.
15:18
Mercy. I want you to look in here.
15:20
There's so much juiciness and so much
15:23
flavor that I can taste that marinade.
15:26
The thing that sort of stands out to me
15:28
is a little hint of that rosemary and
15:30
the honey in there. So, ooh, they are oh
15:32
so good. Don't forget the little added
15:35
bonus we give you, the baked bean dip.
15:37
Bring your food out. Even the opposing
15:39
team will come over and be your friends
15:41
on this deal. They will. But it is with
15:43
great pride, honor, and privilege that I
15:46
tip my hat to all the servicemen and
15:47
women and all the veterans that have
15:49
kept that old flag of flying. We commend
15:51
you all we do. And one more thing, share
15:54
your fire. It's going to bring people
15:56
together. That's what it's about.
15:57
Camaraderie, fellowship, sharing food,
16:00
making family, and making new friends.
16:02
It is. And also share the fire that is
16:04
within you, the passion that you have.
16:07
It'll make the world a better place. So,
16:09
be sure share your fire, the cooking
16:12
fire, the passion that you have. Let's
16:14
bring it all together and share with
16:16
everybody we know. So, get on in here
16:18
close. I'm going to give you a great big
16:20
hug.
16:23
God bless you each and everyone. And
16:25
I'll see you down the tailgate trail.
16:32
Hey, spoiler alert. Did y'all see all of
16:34
Shan's little football Easter egg she
16:37
had planted out there? We're fixing to
16:39
reveal it, but if you didn't see it, you
16:40
better go back and rewatch and leave us
16:42
a comment down there below and say,
16:44
"Hey, I seen every one of them." And the
16:46
first one was the sticker on the Yeti
16:48
bottle in the ice chest. Next one was
16:51
the Colorado Buffs jersey. We had
16:53
Major's Bandana, the referee penalty
16:56
flag, and there was a small football and
16:58
the one in the historical segment.
17:03
Just take you a little bite of that. Can
17:05
you get a bite? He says, "Is it like ice
17:07
cream?" Dad, you ain't got many teeth,
17:09
do you? You have been helping today. I
17:11
don't know which team he was rooting
17:13
for, but how would you like a bite?
17:18
Good job, Woo. Woo is hungry.
17:21
You can't have it all. We got to share
17:23
with Duke.
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