Spicy Prickly Pear Chicken Lollipops

I always get so excited at this time of year because I’m starting to see all of the prickly pears ripen in my neighbors’ front yards! I’m happy to harvest them at no cost, and I’ll even bring them some leftover syrup for letting me “borrow” some of their juicy fruit! 

The prickly pear cactus, also known as the Optunia, is one of the cacti here in the Sonoran desert where the fruit and its pads are both edible. It’s been a staple in Mexican and Central American culture for thousands of years. The fruit is a beautiful magenta or red pear shape, and when it’s peeled and juiced it yields a sweet, colorful, fruity syrup! It’s most commonly used in tequila cocktails, but it also makes great jelly, candy, dressings and marinades! For more info on how to handle prickly pears and make the fruity syrup, see my previous post here:

https://www.phoenixfamilyfoodie.com/post/all-hail-the-prickly-pear

Today I’m using the prickly pear syrup as a marinade for some amazing spicy chicken lollipops! With the help of El Yucateco Hot Sauce, these lollipops came out perfectly spicy, colorful, flavorful, and sweet!  El Yucateco focuses on flavor, not heat, so even though we’re using the XXXtra Hot Sauce today, I promise it's not overpowering! The sweetness of the prickly pear syrup balances perfectly with the spicy hot sauce! To read more about their products and order some for yourself, check out their website at www.shopelyucateco.com. 

The marinade for our lollipops today is simple. It just consists of prickly pear syrup, some garlic and herb seasoning, salt and pepper. 

The hardest part of this recipe was preparing the chicken lollipops. It was a bit of a labor of love, but it was well worth it. I had to flatten the top of the lollipops first so they would stand up on their own, and then trim off the skin and tendons at the end of the drumstick. Once they were prepped, I placed them in a plastic bag with half marinade and let them sit in the refrigerator for two hours. The rest of the marinade got saved for a finishing glaze.

I placed the marinated lollipops on my pellet smoker at 425 degrees for just about 20 minutes. 

While those were cooking, I added a big squeeze of honey to the remaining marinade and whisked that into a glaze. I brushed the lollipops with the glaze just before taking them off the grill, and again just before serving them. 

The glaze made a huge difference in flavor, the heat level was perfect from the El Yucateco Hot Sauce, and it balanced perfectly in sweetness and color! 

Even though the prep was a bit of a pain, my family LOVED the clean, easy pick up of the lollipops. I don’t think I’ll ever make chicken drumsticks any other way! These are great for game day appetizers or as part of a big weekend meal with family. Get yourself some El Yucateco Hot Sauce, go grab some prickly pears off of the neighbor’s cactus and get these on the grill! Just make sure to bring some over to the neighbor’s house when they’re done.

El Yucateco Spicy Prickly Pear Chicken Lollipops

Ingredients:

• 5 lbs. chicken drumsticks

• 2 cups prickly pear syrup 

• 2 tbsp. El Yucateco XXXtra Hot Sauce

• 1 tbsp. Garlic and Herb seasoning

• 1/2 cup honey

• Salt/pepper

Steps:

1. Trim the tops off of the meaty side of the chicken drumsticks so they stand up on their own when placed on a flat surface.

2. Cut around the base of the muscle and remove the skin and tendons from the bone side of the drumsticks. 

3. In a large mixing bowl add the prickly pear syrup, El Yucateco XXXtra Hot Sauce, garlic and herb seasoning, salt and pepper. Whisk to combine and separate half of the marinade. Place the drumsticks and half of the marinade in a large, sealable plastic bag, and refrigerate for at least two hours. 

4. Heat a grill or pellet smoker to 425°.

5. Place the chicken on the grill, standing the lollipops up. 

6. With the remaining marinade, whisk the honey in to make the glaze. Brush onto the lollipops while they’re cooking. Remove them from the heat when the internal temperature reaches 165°.

7. Transfer to a serving dish and glaze again just before serving.