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Drums of Heaven served on a plate
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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!
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 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
  • 1 teaspoon Vinegar
  • 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)
Metric - US Customary

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, vinegar, 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