Last Updated on December 14, 2021 by Babita

Chicken Lollipop is a popular Indo-Chinese delicacy made with chicken wings (drumettes). It is a clever recipe that combines some basic Chinese ingredients with Indian ingredients to create a fabulously delicious appetizer.

Chicken Lollipop placed in Circle on a White Plate with Two Dipping Sauces on the Side

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Chicken lollipop is a one of my favorite appetizers and my kids love them too. Unfortunately, it takes a lot of time to prep raw chicken wings and transform them into lollipops. It is one of the reasons I don’t make this recipe often. Whenever I do make it, they are gone by the time I can blink my eyes. My girls absolutely love them and devour them in gusto.

What Part of Chicken Should be Used for Chicken Lollipop

Chicken lollipop is made with chicken wings. It is usually made with the middle part of the wings, the one with two bones. I however, use both parts of the wings to make it. The process to transform the chicken wings is long and needs a lot of patience depending on the number of wings you need for your recipe. I usually process them a day or few days in advance and freeze them. That way I have it ready on the day I need it. If you need a tutorial on how to transform the wings into chicken lollipops, click here. I have a included step-by-step instructions on how to prepare them.

Tips to Cook Chicken Lollipop

I make chicken lollipop in 2 steps. First, I steam cook the lollipops and then I fry them. The reason for this is because the wings that we get in US is huge and it would take forever to cook them. My uncle (Mama) gave me this tip and believe me it is perfect if you have to cook a big batch of chicken lollipops. Don’t forget to check out the video in the recipe card below:

Ingredients:

12-15 chicken wings separated, cleaned and shaped into lollipops
2 tbsp of ginger-garlic paste
3 tbsp of soy sauce
1 egg
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp black pepper
1-2 tsp red chili powder (as per taste)
1/4 tsp red food coloring (optional)
1 tbsp water (if required – see note below)
salt as per taste
Canola oil for frying

Instructions to Steam Chicken Lollipop

In a mixing bowl add 1 tbsp of ginger-garlic paste, black pepper, 2 tbsp of soy sauce and salt. Mix them well. Add the raw chicken lollipop and marinate it for around 30 mins.
Steam the marinated chicken lollipops for 10 mins. This will partially cook the lollipops and reduce the time to fry them.
After 10 mins, turn off the heat and allow the lollipops to cool.

Instructions to Fry the Lollipops

In another mixing bowl beat one egg. Add the cornstarch, the rest of the ginger-garlic paste and soy sauce, salt, chili powder, red food coloring and mix it well. Add about 1 to 2 tbsp of water to get a paste like consistency.
Add the cooled lollipops to the mix, and thoroughly coat them with the cornstarch marinade. Set it aside for few mins.
Heat oil in a round bottom pan or Kadhai, and when it has reached the required temperature add 3 to 4 pieces of the marinated lollipops.
Since it is already partially cooked it doesn’t take long for the lollipops to fry.
Serve hot with either Sriracha sauce or some Asian Chili and Garlic Paste .

Notes for Cooking Lollipops:

Steaming the chicken before frying it makes a huge difference. Like I mentioned about, it saves up time when you have to deep fry the lollipops.
You can also use any cookware for steaming purpose. I use the rice cooker. However, you can even use pressure cooker or Instant Pot.
Use fresh ginger-garlic paste instead of the store-bought ones. Fresh paste add a lot of flavor and aroma to this recipe.

A Picture of Author Holding One Chicken Lollipop

Cookware to Use for Steaming Chicken