Chicken Lollipops
My chicken lollipops, mildly spicy and sweet. An Indian Chinese dish commonly served as hors d’oeuvre. With pilaf rice, they make a delicious main course.
Chicken Lollipops
My chicken lollipops, mildly spicy and sweet. An Indian Chinese dish commonly served as hors d’oeuvre. With pilaf rice, they make a delicious main course.
Skipping the lollipop = faster and just as tasty
Not long ago, my friend introduced me to Bangladeshi cuisine. And this is when I discovered chicken lollipops, an hors d’oeuvre of Indo-Chinese origin! Why “chicken lollipops”? Because they look like lollipops. When I first made chicken lollipops, I followed the steps to make my chicken drumsticks look like lollipops. I removed the skin and fats. Then, with a knife, I cut loose the meat from the bone end and brought it down. Okay, it makes it easier to eat but it takes WAY TOO MUCH TIME to do. So, I decided afterward to skip this step. Hey, it’s not because it doesn’t look like lollipops that it doesn’t taste as good!
The Marination
For this recipe, you’ll need chicken drumsticks. I recommend marinating overnight for maximum flavor. I use ginger paste, garlic paste, chili powder, garam masala, and salt for the marination. You could use fresh ginger and garlic instead of the paste. I use paste because I find that it spreads out more evenly on the meat than minced ginger and garlic.
The Cooking
Before frying, toss the chicken drumsticks in cornflour or rice flour. You can make your rice flour by grinding your rice in a blender.
I always fry my meat in my Air Fryer. It’s just easier, quicker, and healthier as I don’t need to add any oil. I fry my chicken lollipops at 350°F for about 19 minutes, turning them halfway.
The Chicken Lollipop Sauce
Most chicken lollipops recipes you’ll encounter are very spicy. I prefer a balance between sweet and spicy as I don’t eat too spicy. The sauce is easy to make. You’ll need to saute the garlic and ginger in a pan until aromatic. Then, add onions. When they become transparent, stir in the soy sauce, vinegar, red chili sauce (I use Huy Fong Sambal Oelek), honey, and ketchup. If you like it very spicy, you can always add more red chili sauce. When the sauce starts to bubble, add water to the pan and stir. If the sauce becomes too thick, add more water.
The Fried Chicken Lollipop in the Sauce
Toss the fried chicken drumsticks in the sauce until they are well coated. I always eat them with pilaf rice and I recommend that you try this pairing. Both go in harmony with one another.
This recipe is adapted from Swathi’s Chicken lollipop recipe.
Chicken Lollipops
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Ingredients
- 4 chicken drumsticks
Marination
- 1/2 tsp ginger paste
- 1/2 tsp garlic paste
- 1/4 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1/8 tsp salt
Frying
- 2 tbsp rice flour make your rice flour by grinding your rice in the blender
Sauce
- 2 small onions finely chopped
- 1 1/2 tbsp ginger minced
- 1 1/2 tbsp garlic minced
- 1 tbsp red chili sauce Huy Fong Sambal Oelek
- 4 tsp ketchup
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp vinegar
- 2 tsp honey
- 1/2 cup water add 1/4 cup water if the sauce is too reduced
Instructions
Marinate de chicken
- Add the chicken drumsticks, ginger paste, garlic paste, chili powder, garam masala and salt to a bowl.
- Toss the chicken with the spices, making sure to cover the chicken as much as possible.
- Coat the chicken with the rice flour.
Fry the chicken
- Oven: Preheat your oven at 220 °C and fry the chicken for 20 to 22 minutesAir Fryer: Fry the chicken drumsticks at 177 °C for 19 to 23 minutes, or as indicated on your Air Fryer.
Make the sauce
- Add oil to a pan on high heat.
- Saute ginger and garlic until aromatic.
- Add onions and fry until transparent.
- Stir in red chili sauce, ketchup, soy sauce, vinegar, and honey.
- When the sauce starts to bubble, add 1/2 cup water and stir. If the sauce reduces too much, add 1/4 cup water.
Add the chicken to the sauce
- Add the fried chicken to the pan. Toss them until well coated.