Chicken lollipop gravy recipe
Restaurant style chicken lollipop gravy recipe
"Forget the food coloring and excessive sugar. This Restaurant Style Chicken Lollipop
Gravy gets its vibrant ruby-red color from our homemade Kashmiri Chilli Paste and
its signature kick from White
Pepper Powder.
While many recipes result in a dark, salty sauce, this Chef's method creates a perfect balance of spicy, tangy, and glossy gravy that coats every inch of the crispy frenched chicken winglets. Best served piping hot with Hakka Noodles."
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Chef's Fact: Is it "Lollipop" or "Drums of Heaven"?
Many people ask me the difference. Here is the secret: They are the same meat!
When served dry as an appetizer, it is called Chicken Lollipop. When the fried lollipops are tossed in this spicy, tangy Indo-Chinese gravy, restaurants call it "Drums of Heaven." So, this recipe is effectively a restaurant-style Drums of Heaven guide!
It is a popular Indian-Chinese fusion dish that consists of deep-fried chicken lollipops served in a flavorful, spicy, and tangy gravy or sauce. The dish is known for its unique presentation, where the chicken drumettes are frenched and pushed down to create a lollipop-like appearance, making it both visually appealing and fun to eat. Chicken lollipops are essentially chicken wings with the meat pushed to one end, leaving the bone exposed for holding. Hence in Chicken lollipop gravy, Crisp fried chicken lollipops are first stir fried with herbs and spices and then simmered in a sweet and spicy sauce made by using soya sauce, tomato ketchup and red chilli sauce. You can easily make this mouth watering restaurant style chicken lollipop gravy or chicken lollipop sauce recipe at the comfort of your kitchen. If you love the recipe of chicken lollipop gravy recipe then I am sure you would love the recipe of Chilli chicken gravy as well.
Steps to make the recipe
How to cut a chicken lollipop?
Chicken lollipops are made from chicken wings. A whole chicken wings has three parts. Drumette part, wingette part and tip part. Lollipops are from drumette and wingette part.
Hold the drumette and wingette part with each hand and break the joint . Push upward to bring the drumette bone piercing the skin.
Cut the joining skin between these two parts. Thus one lollipop made from the drumette part.
Similarly hold the remaining wingette and tip part with hands and break their join . Push the bone upwards. Two small bones will come out piercing the skin. Remove the thin bone and cut the joining skin between them.
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| Holding wingette and tip part |
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2. Making Chicken lollipop batter
Chicken lollipop batter is important for making chicken lollipop dry recipe. So that we can add all the flavours into the lollipops. If you are making lollipop gravy recipe then you can simply add ginger garlic Chilly pepper and salt. We will later use different sauces to give all the flavours.
For dry chicken lollipop take 4 teaspoon corn flour and 5 - 6 teaspoon all purpose flour in a mixing bowl. Add 1 teaspoon red chilly paste, 1/2 teaspoon red chilly sauce, 1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic, 1/2 teaspoon chopped ginger, 1/2 teaspoon chopped green chili,1/3 teaspoon White pepper powder, 1/2 teaspoon tomato ketchup, 1/2 teaspoon schezwan sauce , 1 beaten egg, 1/2 teaspoon chopped celery and salt to taste. Add little water to make a thick batter. Coat chicken lollipops in these batter and keep marinated.
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Red Chilly Paste is only important if you want to give lollipop a nice restaurant style colour.
Dark soya sauce makes a dish look black or dark brown which is not eye appealing. So we use red chilly paste to balance the colour for the recipe.
For making the red chilly paste you need to boil Kashmiri chilly and then make a fine paste using grinder or mixer.
Kashmiri chilly is not spicy and it only gives the dish its desired colour.
3. Corn flour slurry for chicken lollipop gravy
Corn flour slurry is used in most of the Indo Chinese foods to make the sauce or gravy thicken. It is widely used in soups, like manchow soup, lemon coriander soup and in gravy like Chilli gravy.
To make it for chicken lollipop gravy recipe mix 1 tablespoon corn flour with 4 tablespoon water. Mix well without any lumps.
Chef's Secret for Extra JuicinessWant chicken that melts in your mouth? Try the "Velvet Brine" method. Before the main marination, soak your shaped lollipops in a mixture of 1/2 cup water + 2 tbsp yogurt (or vinegar) for 30 minutes. This breaks down the fibers, ensuring the chicken stays juicy even after deep frying!  |
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Alternative Cooking Methods (Air Fryer & Oven)
1. Air Fryer Method:
Preheat Air Fryer to 200°C (400°F).
Place battered lollipops in the basket (do not overcrowd). Spray generously with oil.
Cook for 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway, until golden and crisp.
Chef's Note: The batter might not be as smooth as deep-frying, but it will be crunchier.
2. Oven Baked Method:
Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F). Line a tray with parchment paper.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, turning once halfway through.
Once cooked, toss them immediately into the hot gravy.
👨🍳 Chef's Troubleshooting Guide: Perfect Every Time
To ensure you get restaurant-quality results, I have compiled the most common pitfalls and their technical fixes.
| Problem | The Reason | Chef's Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Soggy or Oily Batter | Oil temp dropped too low or pan was overcrowded. | Maintain medium-high heat. Fry in small batches to keep oil temperature consistent. |
| Batter Falling Off | Batter was too runny or lollipops lost shape. | Re-shape manually: Squeeze lollipops into balls immediately before dropping them into the oil. |
| Raw Inside / Burnt Outside | Heat was too high (Flash frying). | Keep flame at a steady medium to penetrate the bone without burning the flour. |
| Dry or Tough Meat | Skipped tenderizing or over-fried. | Velvet Brine: Soak chicken in buttermilk (yogurt + water) for 1–6 hours before marinating. |
| Bitter Aftertaste | Garlic was burnt during sauté. | Sauté aromatics only until fragrant and translucent. Do not let garlic turn dark brown. |
| Dark or "Muddy" Color | Too much Dark Soya Sauce. | Reduce soya sauce. Use Kashmiri Red Chilli Paste for that vibrant "restaurant red." |
| Batter Not Crispy Enough | Using only All-Purpose Flour (Maida). | Chef's Tip: Add 1 tbsp of Rice Flour to the batter for a superior, long-lasting crunch. |
Chicken Lollipop Gravy
Master the Restaurant Style Chicken Lollipop Gravy (Drums of Heaven). Chef's guide to crispy frenched winglets in a spicy Indo-Chinese sauce. Juicy & perfectly red.
Ingredients
- 8 pieces chicken lollipop
- 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
- 1 teaspoon chopped ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon chopped green chili
- 1/3 teaspoon black pepper powder
- 1/4 teaspoon White pepper powder
- pinch of salt as per taste
- 1 beaten egg
- 2 teaspoon corn flour
- 1 tbsp Rice Flour
- 3 teaspoon all purpose flour
- Oil for deep frying
- 1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon chopped ginger
- 3 teaspoon chopped onion
- 2 green chili slits roughly
- 1 teaspoon red chilly paste
- 1/2 teaspoon red chilly sauce
- 1/3 teaspoon tomato ketchup
- 1 teaspoon dark soya sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon White pepper powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder (optional)
- pinch of salt as per taste
- chopped spring onions for garnish
- 2 teaspoon cooking oil
Instructions
- Mix chicken lollipops with ginger garlic, green chilli, salt, pepper powder and red chilly paste.
- Add the beaten egg, corn flour, all purpose flour and mix well to coat all the lollipops evenly.
- Let them marinate for 1 hour or overnight to absorb all the flavours.
- Heat oil in a deep vessel pan or kadai in medium flame heat and slowly add the lollipops removing excess marination.
- Fry them till crisp golden and fully cooked.
- Remove them in an absorbent paper to absorb any excess oil.
- Heat oil in a wok or pan and fry the chopped ginger and garlic for 30 seconds.
- Add the chopped onions and green chili and fry till the onions become translucent.
- Add the red chilly paste, red chilly sauce, tomato sauce and dark soya sauce and mix.
- Pour half cup of water into the mixture and simmer. Add salt and white pepper powder.
- Pour 3 teaspoon corn flour slurry into them. The gravy start to thicken now.
- Add the fried lollipops and mix well with the gravy. Cook for one minute.
- Sprinkle some chopped spring onions and remove the lollipop gravy.
Chef's Notes
- In place of red chily paste, you can use Kashmiri red chilli powder. It can also gives a nice red colour.
- For extra crunch, toss in diced capsicum (bell peppers) along with the onions.
- If you want to spicy chicken lollipop gravy then don't use tomato ketchup. Add 1/2 teaspoon green chilli paste instead of it.
📊 Nutrition (Per Serving)
| Calories | 190 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 13.56 g |
| Fat | 11.67g |
| Carbs | 8.47g |
Chicken lollipop gravy video
- chicken lollipop gravy is used as a main course side dish. So it is served with fried rice. Chicken fried rice, egg fried rice are good choice to serve with it.
- Different types of noodles like Hakka noodles, Singapore noodles, Chilly noodles are also served along with chicken lollipop gravy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. Can I use store-bought "Ready-to-Fry" lollipops?
Yes. Store-bought frozen lollipops (like Godrej or Sumeru) are pre-frenched. Thaw them completely to room temperature and pat them very dry with a paper towel before dipping in the batter. If they are wet, the batter will slip off.
Q2. How many pieces in a Full Plate vs. Half Plate?
In standard Indian restaurants:
• Full Plate: 6 to 8 pieces (Serves 2-3)
• Half Plate: 4 pieces (Serves 1)
This recipe makes 8 pieces, which is equivalent to a standard Full Plate.
Q3. Why is my chicken dry inside?
Chicken wings dry out quickly if overcooked. To keep them juicy:
1. Don't fry on low heat (it cooks too slowly).
2. Try the "Velvet Brine": Soak the raw lollipops in 2 tbsp yogurt + water for 30 minutes before battering. This tenderizes the meat fibers.
Chicken lollipop is believed to have originated in India. A fusion dish of popular Indo-Chinese cuisines. The exact origins for the dish is not well documented, but widely enjoyed in Indian restaurants.
The part of the chicken which is called a lollipop is typically the chicken wingette or drumette. To make chicken lollipops, the meat is pushed down to one end of the bone, creating a lollipop-like shape. The meat is marinated, coated in a batter, and deep-fried.
Chicken lollipop gravy is not considered as healthy because the dish is deep-fried and often contains sauces with added sugars and sodium.
NICE TO MEET YOU!
I’m Mobasir Hassan, Executive Sous Chef with the Radisson Hotel Group. After years in hotel kitchens, I now share chef-tested recipes, step-by-step cooking techniques, and restaurant-style dishes that home cooks can recreate with confidence. I’m glad you’re here!