Chicken Lollipop, or Drums of Heaven, is a popular, spicy fried chicken recipe that is crispy on the outside and juicy, tender on the inside. These crispy fried chicken can be served as a starter, appetizer, or a side.
Don't miss checking out lemon garlic chicken - keto, Sweet and spicy orange chicken, and chicken wraps.
About the recipe
Chicken lollipop, also called drums of heaven or dragon chicken, is an Indo-Chinese restaurant-style recipe where the frenched chicken winglet or drumettes are marinated and deep-fried until crispy and served with the spicy schezwan sauce as an appetizer or served as a side with Indo-Chinese fried rice or hakka noodles.
Meat is cut from the bone end and pushed down, making it look like a lollipop. Kids also love them as chicken lollipop candy. Chicken lollypop is a crowd-pleaser chicken recipe for your next dinner party, get-together, super bowl, or game night.
Every restaurant has its own way of preparing and serving chicken lollipops or drums of heaven. Many restaurants serve them dry with spicy red chile sauce and vinegar; some serve it coleslaw and schezwan sauce, while some other Chinese restaurants make a chicken lollipop masala or gravy, which is very similar to szechuan sauce and toss it to the fried chicken rather than serving it as dip or condiment. They call this version Drums of Heaven.
Indo-Chinese food is the most preferred restaurant we love to visit or order on a tiring or boring day to lift our mood. Is it the same with you? While you are here, also check out our garlic rice noodles, similar to triple schezwan rice or the famous honey chili potatoes.
What is the difference between chicken lollipop and drums of heaven?
Restaurants use these names interchangeably. But the difference is that a chicken lollipop is prepared, which is tossed with spicy schezwan sauce to make it drums of heaven.
I generally keep the sauce and fried chicken separate, serve the sauce as a dip because the sauce is extra spicy, and people who can tolerate the heat can always dip and eat.
Ingredients
For the marination: Chicken drums or flats, vinegar or lemon juice, ginger garlic paste, salt, Kashmiri red chile powder.
For the batter: To make crispy fried chicken, the batter should be of the right consistency. You need flour, corn flour or rice flour, red chile powder, pepper powder, ginger garlic paste, salt, and spring onions.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to make Drums of Heaven at home?
Marinate the chicken
Step 1: Add prepared chicken drums and flats to a bowl.
Step 2: Add vinegar or lemon juice, ginger-garlic paste, salt, red chile powder, and mix. Cover and keep this in the refrigerator for 60 minutes.
Prepare the lollipop chicken batter
Step 3: Add all-purpose flour, cornflour (rice flour), salt, red chile powder (Kashmiri and spicy), pepper powder, ginger-garlic paste, and spring onions.
Step 4: Now add water little by little to form a medium-thick batter.
Step 5: This should be the consistency of the batter. Check the video here.
Step 6: Dip each marinated chicken in batter.
Chicken Lollipop Fry
Step 7: Heat oil in a pan on medium flame. Drop the chicken drumsticks in hot oil.
Step 8: Flip it after a couple of minutes and fry until the chicken is crispy on the outside.
Step 9: Total fry time is about 6 to 8 minutes.
Step 10: Transfer it to a paper towel to absorb any excess oil. Repeat the process for the remaining chicken.
Serve it with the best spicy schezwan sauce or chutney, and enjoy.
Tips
- Kashmiri red chile powder is similar to paprika, i.e., not spicy, and is used to get that deep red color with moderate spiciness. You can reduce the amount if needed.
- My kids love chicken lollipops, and when I make these for them, I reduce the amount of red chile powder.
- Corn flour can be substituted with rice flour.
- You can also lightly coat each fried chicken lollipop in schezwan sauce to make it drums of heaven or dragon chicken.
- Add ¼ teaspoon of red food color to the batter if you want the same bright red-colored chicken lollipops as you get at restaurants.
- Want to avoid frying? You can also grill or bake lollipop chicken in your preheated 220-degree C oven for 22 to 25 minutes or until cooked through, rotating halfway through.
Recipe FAQs
Chicken drumsticks that are Frenched are used to make chicken lollipops or drums of heaven. Meat is cut from the bone end and pushed down, making it look like a lollipop.
Lollipop pieces are easily available in the meat section or meat shop. If not, you can ask the butcher to prepare them for you.
If you get lollipop pieces ready at the store, like the one we got, making this recipe is among the simple chicken recipes out there. But if you cannot find one, you can make this by Frenching chicken wings or drums at home, just that it is extra work and time-consuming. Having said that, you can even use wings or drums directly (without frenching) to make this recipe.
There are endless options on dips and sauces you serve with chicken lollipops. From popular schezwan chutney or sauce to red chili sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, barbecue sauce, or even sweet and tangy dates tamarind chutney.
Yes, for a healthier option, you can always bake the chicken lollipop. Bake them in your preheated 220-degree C or 400-degree F oven for 22 to 25 minutes or until cooked through, rotating halfway through.
One piece of chicken lollipop contains 89 calories with 5g of protein.
More Chicken Recipes
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Recipe card
Best Chicken Lollipop | Drums of Heaven
Equipment
- Pan for frying
- Bowls
Ingredients
For the Marination
- 12 Chicken drums and flats
- 2 tablespoon Vinegar or Lemon juice
- 2 tbsp Ginger garlic paste
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 2 tablespoon Kashmiri red chile powder (used for color)
For the batter
- ½ cup All purpose flour or Maida
- ¼ cup Corn flour or Rice flour
- ½ teaspoon Salt adjust to taste
- 1 tablespoon Kashmiri red chile powder for color
- 1 teaspoon Spicy red chile powder for heat
- ½ teaspoon Black pepper powder
- 1 to 2 tablespoon Ginger garlic paste
- 1 to 2 tablespoon Spring onions, finely chopped (optional)
- Oil for frying
Instructions
Marinate the chicken
- In a bowl, add prepared chicken drums and flats, vinegar, ginger-garlic paste, salt, red chile powder, and mix.12 Chicken drums and flats, 2 tablespoon Vinegar or Lemon juice, 2 tablespoon Ginger garlic paste, ½ teaspoon Salt, 2 tablespoon Kashmiri red chile powder
- Cover and keep this in the refrigerator for 60 minutes.
Prepare the lollipop chicken batter.
- In another bowl, add all-purpose flour, cornflour, salt, red chile powder, pepper powder, ginger-garlic paste, spring onions, and water little by little to form a medium-thick batter.½ cup All purpose flour, ¼ cup Corn flour or Rice flour, ½ teaspoon Salt, 1 tablespoon Kashmiri red chile powder, ½ teaspoon Black pepper powder, 1 to 2 tablespoon Ginger garlic paste, 1 to 2 tablespoon Spring onions, finely chopped, 1 teaspoon Spicy red chile powder
Chicken lollipop fry
- Heat oil in a pan on medium flame.Oil
- Dip each marinated chicken in batter and drop it in hot oil. Flip it after a couple of minutes and fry until the chicken is crispy on the outside. Total fry time is about 6 to 8 minutes.
- Transfer it to a paper towel to absorb any excess oil. Repeat the process for the remaining chicken.
- Serve it with Spicy Homemade Schezwan Sauce & enjoy.
Video
Notes
- Kashmiri red chile powder is similar to paprika, i.e., not spicy, and is used to get that deep red color with moderate spiciness. You can reduce the amount if needed.
- My kids love chicken lollipops, and when I make these for them, I reduce the amount of red chile powder.
- Corn flour can be substituted with rice flour.
- You can also lightly coat each fried chicken lollipop in Szechuan sauce to make it drums of heaven or dragon chicken.
- Add ¼ teaspoon of red food color to the batter if you want the same bright red-colored chicken lollipops as you get at restaurants.
- Want to avoid frying? You can also grill or bake lollipop chicken in your preheated 220-degree C oven for 22 to 25 minutes or until cooked through, rotating halfway through.
- In the video, I have not added the spring onions, but I recommend them as it adds amazing flavor.
Nutrition
This post for restaurant-style lollipop chicken was first published in January 2022. Updated with stepwise pictures, recipe, and calories.
Toni
This is so good!! My whole family really enjoyed it!