Drums of Heaven – Spicy and Saucy!

Drums of Heaven are basically Chicken Lollipops tossed in a sweet, spicy sauce. The key to an amazing recipe is in the sauce which has to have the right balance of sweet and spicy! That’s what I’m showing you here today – how to make crispy lollipops and getting that well balanced sauce.

Drums of Heaven are really an extension of Chicken Lollipops. And I love them just as much. There is something about a plate full of drums of heaven that you get through leaving only bones and sticky fingers at the end. Sooo good!

What you’ll need for Drums of Heaven

• Fried Chicken Lollipops: I have a recipe for Chicken Lollipop here that uses simple ingredients available at home, no artificial food colouring and a really crispy batter!
• Ginger, Garlic, Green Chillies and Onions: All of these are chopped really finely so that after cooking, you don’t really get these distinctly in every bite. You can use a vegetable chopper or food processor to get a fine chop
• Schezwan Sauce: Spicy schezwan sauce is key to a good sauce for these lollipops. You can use store bought or easily make a big batch at home and store it like I do.
• Soy Sauce: I use light soy sauce for that deep colour, and extra umami flavour
• Cornstarch or Cornflour: This is optional but a little cornflour slurry added to the sauce and cooked gives it a nice glossy finish and thickens it.
• Chopped Coriander (Cilantro) and Spring Onions: Coriander might seem like an odd ingredient in Chinese cooking, but it really adds flavour to this and makes it authentic Indo Chinese 😂if you know what I mean. So don’t skip it. Chopped spring onions add freshness and a nice zing to this recipe.

Everytime I made chicken lollipops at home, I make sure to fry an extra batch so I can toss them up in some sauce too. That way we have two different appetizers from one recipe!

If you are missing Chinese food as much as I am, this Drums of Heaven recipe will take care of those cravings. And because you make them at home, you know exactly what’s going into them; the lollipops remain crisp and there’s no artificial food colouring in the sauce!

More Chinese Recipes:

• Easy Chinese Chilli Chicken Dry
• Crunchy Chinese Chicken Salad
• Chinese Potli Samosa Wontons
• Soya Manchurian

Watch How to make Drums of Heaven Recipe Video

Drums of Heaven - Spicy and Saucy!

Drums of Heaven are chicken lollipops tossed in a sweet, spicy sauce. This Indian Chinese appetizer is everyones favourite for a reason!

5 from 12 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Snacks & Appetizers

Cuisine: Chinese

Keyword: chicken lollipop in sauce, drums of heaven

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Servings: 6 people

Calories: 784kcal

Author: Richa

Ingredients

For the Chicken Lollipops:

• 500 grams (1.1 lb) Chicken lollipop
• 1/4 cup Soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Vinegar
• 1 tbsp Tomato ketchup
• 1 tbsp Red chilli powder
• 1 tbsp Garlic paste
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1/4 cup Cornflour
• 2 tbsp All purpose flour
• 2 tbsp Rice flour
• 1 Egg
• 1 tbsp Ginger paste
• Oil for frying

For the Drums of Heaven:

• 12-14 Chicken Lollipops Fried
• 2 tablespoons Oil
• 1 tablespoon Ginger finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon Garlic finely chopped
• 1/4 cup Onions finely chopped
• 2 Green Chillies finely chopped
• 1/4 cup Schezwan Sauce or Sriracha
• 1 tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
• 2 tablespoons Tomato Ketchup
• 1 teaspoon Sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Cornstarch / Cornflour mixed in 4 tablespoons water to make a slurry
• 2 tablespoons Coriander finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons Spring Onions finely chopped (green part only)

Instructions

For the Chicken Lollipops:

• Whisk together soy sauce, vinegar, tomato ketchup, red chilli powder, garlic paste, salt in a bowl and toss the chicken lollipops in it. Marinade for half an hour.
• In the same bowl, add cornflour, all purpose flour, rice flour, egg and ginger paste and mix well to create a thick batter and coat the lollipops in it.
• Heat about two inches oil in a wok or kadhai to 350F/ 176C. Add the battered lollipops one by one to the oil in such a way that the meat is at the bottom and the bone is on top (watch the video to see how I do it). Fry these on medium high heat till golden brown – approx 3-4 minutes.
• Take these out on a tissue paper to blot out any excess oil and set aside.

For the Drums of Heaven:

• In a wok or kadhai, heat oil and add ginger and garlic. Stir fry on high heat for a minute and add chopped onions. Keep stir frying till the onions soften and add green chillies. After a few seconds, add schezwan sauce, soy sauce, ketchup and sugar. Cook the sauce for 2 minutes, stir frying as it cooks.
• Add the cornflour slurry and keep stir frying till it thickens (approx a minute or so). Add the chicken lollipop and coriander and toss well. Top it with chopped spring onions and serve.

Notes

Storing: Drums of Heaven can't be stored for later as the chicken becomes soggy and the cornflour makes the sauce really thick. I recommend serving them immediately

Nutrition

Calories: 784kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 53g | Fat: 54g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 311mg | Sodium: 1478mg | Potassium: 740mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 799IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 3mg