Name: Chicken Lollipop
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 85 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 500 g chicken wings; 4 tbsp yogurt; 250 ml water; 0 salt; 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste; 1 tsp kashmiri red chili powder; 0.25 tsp ground black pepper; 0.5 tsp garam masala; 1 tsp soy sauce; 1 tsp white vinegar; 1 piece egg; 4 tbsp cornstarch; 1 tbsp all-purpose flour; 0 salt; 1 l vegetable oil; 1 piece onion; 3 clove garlic; 1 tsp ginger; 1 tbsp red chili sauce; 1 tsp soy sauce; 1 tsp white vinegar; 1 tbsp ketchup; 1 tsp sugar; 120 ml water; 2 tbsp spring onion

Chicken Lollipop

A crispy, spicy Indo-Chinese appetizer of frenched chicken wing drumettes, battered and deep-fried, then tossed in a fiery red chili sauce.

🇮🇳 India ·Asia · $

60 min Prep

25 min Cook

85 min Total

4 portions

Chicken Lollipop is one of India's most beloved Indo-Chinese starters, a staple on restaurant and street-food menus across the country. Each piece is a chicken wing drumette that has been frenched, meaning the meat is cut loose from one end of the bone and pushed down so it bunches up into a ball, leaving the clean bone as a built-in handle that looks like a lollipop stick. The drumettes are marinated in ginger, garlic, soy, and chili, then coated in a cornstarch and flour batter spiked with Kashmiri chili powder before being deep-fried until deeply crisp and golden. Right out of the oil they get tossed in a hot, garlicky red sauce, or dusted with a dry schezwan-style red chili coating for a less saucy version. The result is crunchy on the outside, juicy near the bone, and unapologetically spicy. Wrap the exposed bone tip in a little foil for easy, mess-free eating.

Ingredients

Chicken

500 g chicken wings drumettes, frenched into lollipop shape

Tenderizing soak

4 tbsp yogurt plain, whisked with water for a buttermilk-style soak

250 ml water

0 salt to taste

Marinade and batter

1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

1 tsp kashmiri red chili powder for color and mild heat

0.25 tsp ground black pepper

0.5 tsp garam masala (optional)

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp white vinegar

1 piece egg

4 tbsp cornstarch

1 tbsp all-purpose flour maida

0 salt to taste

Frying

1 l vegetable oil for deep frying

Red chili sauce

1 piece onion small, finely chopped

3 clove garlic minced

1 tsp ginger minced

1 tbsp red chili sauce

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp white vinegar

1 tbsp ketchup tomato (optional)

1 tsp sugar

120 ml water

Garnish

2 tbsp spring onion chopped (optional)

Ingredients

4 portions

Chicken

500 gchicken wings drumettes, frenched into lollipop shape

Tenderizing soak

4 tbspyogurt plain, whisked with water for a buttermilk-style soak

250 mlwater

salt to taste

Marinade and batter

1 tbspginger-garlic paste

1 tspkashmiri red chili powder for color and mild heat

0.25 tspground black pepper

0.5 tspgaram masala (optional)

1 tspsoy sauce

1 tspwhite vinegar

1 pieceegg

4 tbspcornstarch

1 tbspall-purpose flour maida

salt to taste

Frying

1 lvegetable oil for deep frying

Red chili sauce

1 pieceonion small, finely chopped

3 clovegarlic minced

1 tspginger minced

1 tbspred chili sauce

1 tspsoy sauce

1 tspwhite vinegar

1 tbspketchup tomato (optional)

1 tspsugar

120 mlwater

Garnish

2 tbspspring onion chopped (optional)

Instructions

Soak and marinate

1

Whisk the yogurt with the water and a pinch of salt to make a thin buttermilk-style soak. Submerge the frenched chicken drumettes and let them soak for at least 1 hour, or refrigerate up to overnight. This tenderizes the meat so it stays juicy after frying.
~60 min
2

Drain the chicken well and pat it dry. Push any loose meat down toward the bone end so each piece keeps its rounded lollipop shape with the clean bone exposed as a handle.

Batter and coat

1

In a bowl, combine the ginger-garlic paste, Kashmiri chili powder, black pepper, garam masala, soy sauce, and vinegar with the drained drumettes. Rub the marinade in well and let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes.
~20 min
2

Just before frying, crack in the egg and add the cornstarch, all-purpose flour, and salt. Mix until every drumette is fully coated in a thick, clingy batter. Add a splash of water only if the batter is too stiff to coat.

Deep fry until crispy

1

Heat oil in a deep kadai or pan until hot, around 170 to 180 C. Test with a drop of batter; it should sizzle and rise steadily without browning instantly.
2

Lower the drumettes in a few at a time, holding the bone, and fry on medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes, turning occasionally, until cooked through. Raise the heat for the final couple of minutes to crisp and deepen the color to golden red.
~12 min
3

Lift the lollipops out and drain on a wire rack or paper towels. Fry in batches so the oil temperature stays high and the coating stays crunchy.

Toss in red chili sauce

1

Pour off all but about 1 tablespoon of oil from a pan. Add the minced ginger and garlic and fry until fragrant, then add the chopped onion and cook until soft and translucent.
~3 min
2

Stir in the red chili sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, ketchup, and sugar, then pour in the water. Simmer until the sauce thickens and turns glossy.
3

Add the fried chicken lollipops and toss quickly so the sauce coats every piece without softening the crust. Garnish with chopped spring onions. For a dry version, skip the sauce and dust the hot lollipops with a schezwan-style red chili powder instead. Wrap each exposed bone tip in a small piece of foil and serve hot.

Credits & Inspiration

Swasthi's Recipes
Detailed Indo-Chinese chicken lollipop with a buttermilk soak, cornstarch coating, and a hot-and-sweet red chili sauce toss.
Yummy Tummy
Restaurant-style version with a Kashmiri chili, soy, ketchup, and egg batter, fried until crispy and golden.
Ranveer Brar
Chef Ranveer Brar's take on frenched wings with a seasoned flour and cornstarch batter coating.
Your Food Fantasy
Lollipops with a yogurt tenderizing soak and a thickened red chili sauce toss.