Family Recipe Showdown winner Steve Grams reveals secrets behind his winning lollipop chicken

On Family Recipe Showdown season 1 episode 6, titled Team Tailgate, three family teams faced off in a two-round cooking challenge inspired by game day favorites. Representing San Antonio, Steve Grams and his cousin Ken competed with handheld tailgate dishes in the first round, followed by a family-style recipe round featuring guest judge Danielle Brooks.

Their standout entry, the Lollipop Chicken, helped secure their win and the $10,000 prize. In an interview on SA LIVE after the episode aired, Grams demonstrated the step-by-step process behind the winning recipe and shared preparation techniques used during The Family Recipe Showdown.

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Steve Grams breaks down his Family Recipe Showdown-winning lollipop chicken recipe

Preparing the lollipop chicken step by step

During a cooking demo, Grams explained the initial process and said they begin with a chicken leg, using a method called "Frenching the chicken". This technique involves removing the skin and cleaning the bone to create a clean, upright shape. He also demonstrated how a paper towel can help grip the skin and pull it off completely. He then described the trimming process.

“We’re gonna cut all the way down to the bone without cutting the bone off. We're gonna cut all those tendons, cut everything else, and then we're gonna remove everything that is all the way down to the bone,” he said.

Once trimmed and shaped, the leg resembled a "lollipop," as Steve described its final form during the preparation process. He explained why the bone is cut flat:

“We're gonna take that big knife again, and because we wanna cook these so they stand up nice and pretty like the finished ones, we're gonna take the big knife and right on the end, we're gonna cut it off flat with where the bone is.”

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Applying layers of seasoning and bacon

Steve Grams on SA Live (Image via Youtube/@sa_live)

Grams emphasized the importance of seasoning early, noting that it was time to apply the "first layer" by thoroughly rolling the chicken in the spices. He advised against using minimal seasoning, saying:

“Use as much spice as you can. If you just sprinkle it on lightly, they’re not able to sell enough spices.”

He clarified that during The Family Recipe Showdown competition, they relied on widely available spices, saying:

"I like to take some or any of those seasonings and mix them together and blend and stuff. We didn't give the exact blend of what we did on the show, but we used a lot of the ones that are out there."

Steve then introduced the next step, instructing to take a slice of bacon and "layer it on" the chicken. Once wrapped, the chicken was re-seasoned by rolling it back in.

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Final bake and presentation techniques

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After re-seasoning, the lollipop chicken was placed on a pan to be baked. He explained that it should be "put into the oven". Once baked, the next step was dipping the chicken in sauce. Steve demonstrated by saying:

“We’re going to dip it. Put that whole thing in there. Yes. Make sure it’s all the way around there.”

Grams instructed to "put that back in the oven" after dipping the chicken in sauce, explaining that it would continue cooking until fully done. The Family Recipe Showdown star then noted that once finished, it would come out looking like the final plated version shown during the demo.

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The "Team Tailgate" episode of Family Recipe Showdown is available on Food Network and HBO Max.