Recipe: Chicken Lollipops with Mustard-Jalapeno Dip (using Jalapeno Jelly)

Chicken Lollipops with Mustard-Jalapeno Dip
rec.food.cooking/Scott Fisher

Here's one of my favorites:

Chicken wing drumettes (just the shoulder-to-elbow pieces)
Cornstarch
Salt and black pepper to taste

Make an incision all the way around one end (either end) of the bone so that you can slide the meat all to one end of the drumette. Do this to as many chicken wings as you can stand. Dredge them in salted/peppered cornstarch and deep-fry over high heat till golden brown and crisp; drain on paper towels. You can let them stand at least overnight, and I suspect a second day as they're not supposed to be terribly crispy.

I make dipping sauces for these as the mood strikes me, but my favorite so far is one part Dijon mustard to two parts hot pepper jelly. If you have non-pepper eating friends, I've also made an INCREDIBLE sauce -- far better than it sounds -- out of the same proprtion of bitter Seville orange marmalade (a good Scottish brand will do) and Dijon. Adjust the flavor as you see fit. You might also mix blue cheese in plain yogurt with chives as an alternative, or a cold barbecue sauce, or nearly anything you like. Horseradish? Mayonnaise with mustard, coarse green peppercorns and Tabasco? Thai peanut sauce? Actually, Vietnamese nuoc cham (I think that's the right name) would be good -- that's a clear sauce of lime juice, hot chiles, scallions and palm sugar, with shredded carrots mixed in. Oh, and nuoc mam (fish sauce), of course, it wouldn't be Vietnamese without that.

Great stuff. Best of all, the bone makes a perfect handle so you can really dip the meaty end into the sauce and keep your fingers clean. These are my favorite finger food for parties, potlucks, and the like.