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
• Dragon Chicken

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 13 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Snacks & Appetizers

Cuisine: Chinese

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
• ▢ ¼ cup Soy sauce
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Vinegar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Tomato ketchup
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Red chilli powder
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Garlic paste
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon Salt
• ▢ ¼ cup Cornflour
• ▢ 2 tablespoon All purpose flour
• ▢ 2 tablespoon Rice flour
• ▢ 1 Egg
• ▢ 1 tablespoon 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
• ▢ ¼ cup Onions finely chopped
• ▢ 2 Green Chillies finely chopped
• ▢ ¼ cup Schezwan Sauce or Sriracha
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
• ▢ 2 tablespoons Tomato Ketchup
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Sugar
• ▢ ½ 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

1. Cutting chicken lollipop: Chicken lollipops are prepared using the middle segment of the chicken wing. You can watch this video to learn how to do this at home or just buy them pre-prepared from the store.
2. Marinade: marinade for at least 30 minutes. For the best results, marinate the chicken in the refrigerator overnight. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator 10 minutes prior to frying.  
3. Oil temperature: Ensure the oil is at 350F/ 176C for frying the chicken. This temperature is ideal for perfectly cooked crispy chicken. 
4. Make these in advance: You can also make these ahead by frying them once and storing them for a couple of hours. When ready to serve, heat the oil to about 400F/204C and flash fry the lollipops for the second time for just a minute. This will give it a super crispy coating and you'll have hot chicken lollipops ready to go. Only do the Drums of Heaven stir fry when you're ready to serve.
5. 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

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