Sweet and Sour Chicken Lollipops

[Keltin]

Here is a recipe I found online with a picture tutorial. These lollipops are an absolute blast to eat. Granted, they are very labor intensive to prepare, but when it is all said and done, the sheer fun of eating these tasty creations makes it worthwhile.

Here’s the recipe: http://visualrecipes.com/recipe-details/recipe_id/216/Chinese-Chicken-Drumsticks-Tutorial-on-Technique/

Since the meat is bunched down in a tight ball, it is exceptionally more tender and juicy than the average fried wing, and the right sauce put it over the top.

I’ve done these twice, and this last time I took some pictures. The pictures simply show the steps, but I didn’t worry myself with plating since I made these for “movie night”. Looking at these pics again, I’m thinking next time I should completely remove the knuckle cap at the end of the bone to cut down on charring and that “dirty” look at the tips.

While these are labor intensive, they are fun to eat and can easily impress your guests (of family members for that matter).

The general recipe is:
6 whole wings – cut to drumette and middle piece, save tip for stock
Sweet and Sour sauce

I used a jar sauce for simplicity, and you can use BBQ, hot sauce, or any of your favorite wing sauces.

To make these, cut and roll the meat down on the bone, and once there, give it a good squeeze and pull to form a nice ball. Next, fry them for 8 to 10 minutes and drain on paper towels. Finally, dip each into a bowl of sauce to cover and then bake at 350 degrees to set the sauce and make it sticky/yummy.

Here is how the wings looked after the initial prep.



Then here they are after the fry.



And finally, here they are after baking to set the sauce.

[tcinsa]

Keltin, these are gorgeous. They look elegant enough to serve at a dressy dinner but yummy enough to make for the whole family. I know kids would love these because of the "handle" - like drumsticks but even neater! Thanks for sharing this.

[KYHeirloomer]

I've seen (and enjoyed) these before, Keltin. But never made with the middle piece of the wing; just the drumette.

They are great, though, and really lend themselves to a party, with a variety of dipping sauces.

tcinsa: Do not frustrate yourself. These will be initially difficult. And the learning curve is strange. You'll find that you can't do it, and can't do it, and, suddenly, you are doing it. Nothing between those extremes. But once you do get the hang of it you'll love making them.

[Keltin]

Originally Posted by KYHeirloomer

I've seen (and enjoyed) these before, Keltin. But never made with the middle piece of the wing; just the drumette.

They are great, though, and really lend themselves to a party, with a variety of dipping sauces.

tcinsa: Do not frustrate yourself. These will be initially difficult. And the learning curve is strange. You'll find that you can't do it, and can't do it, and, suddenly, you are doing it. Nothing between those extremes. But once you do get the hang of it you'll love making them.

You’re absolutely right KYH! You hit this wall thinking I can’t do it…..it won’t work.,…it’s not…….then wham, you get it. It’s truly a thing you need to start slow, and then it suddenly hits you (like butchering a whole chicken) and then it flows….not as easy as a butchering a whole chicken, but it does get easier!

The middle pieces are the hardest part. That second bone likes to stick, and on some of them, I just pushed the bone through the meat instead of trying to cut it out and pull it free. That works surprisingly well.

[Roxanne]

Those look great thx for sharing

[tcinsa]

Ya'll are great! Thanks for the encouragement. Actually, I'll be very happy if they come out looking anything like Keltin's and taste good. But it's interesting that you posted this tonight since I was thinking I would spend next week learning to "take apart" whole chickens and make a lot of good chicken soup to freeze for the cold weather. So I'll just buy some extra wings and practice this at the same time.

[KYHeirloomer]

When you start breaking down those chix, keep one thing in mind: the secret of doing it, or any cutting task for that matter, is a sharp knife that is comfortable in your hand.

There is nothing in the kitchen as dangerous as a dull knife.

Other than that you should be fine. Just take your time: The idea is to learn how to do it right, not how to do it fast. Speed will come naturally over time.

Also, when you put the parts up in freezer bags it's important to get rid of as much air as possible. Air is what causes freezer burn. If you don't have a vacuum sealer, try this. Put the parts in a zipper bag. Close it all but about a half inch. The submerge the whole thing in a tub of water, right up to the zipper line. Seal the last little bit. This will drive all the air out.

Be sure and dry the bag before putting in the freezer.

We now return to our regularly scheduled show.

[tcinsa]

I do have a vacuum sealer that I use for almost everything so that will work. I also just got a bunch of new knives and a diamond steel. Along with a couple of chef's knives, I got a big cleaver. (It was an impulse buy because it looks so cool! I know that's silly but with 3 boys in the house, I need all the help I can get commanding respect!) Can I use it to chop through the joints or is this overkill?

[Keltin]

Cleavers are fun, but let’s be honest, you better have Ninja Reflexes and aim to slap a joint on a chicken wing with that beast!

However, what most people don’t understand is, the cleaver is not just a big axe! You CAN rock it and make gentle cuts. For example, have your wing out, spread the tip away from the middle piece, rest the point of your cleaver on the cutting board so that that blade is over the joint, and then push down on the handle of your cleaver so that the blade cuts through the joint. The heft of the cleaver will make this an easy cut, and using the tip on the cutting board as your hinge point makes it a very controllable cut.

Basically, you can use the cleaver as a Chef’s knife…..and many cooks do……they aren’t just axes, but that is an option!

[KYHeirloomer]

A lot depends, too, on the style.

What we call a cleaver basically is a European model axe with a side handle; used primarily for butchering large cuts of meat and breaking down animals.

Certainly it can be used as Keltin points out---providing you keep it ultra sharp. But the Japanese style cleaver is more akin to a carving knife. It's much thinner than conventional cleavers, and is used---often in tandem---for the jobs we use a chef's knife for.

There also are vegetable cleavers. These resemble Santoku knives, but are square cut up front, and lack the side-groves of a Santoku. Personally I've never cared much for them. And, near as I can determine, Sabatier is the last company offering them---another reason to just say no.