There was a time when making Chicken Lollipops was a long and tedious task. You had to buy whole chicken wings, separate the drumettes from the wingettes, store the wingettes for future use, then loosen the meat of the drumettes at the joint and push it up to create a lollipop effect.
Now, you can just go to the poultry section of the supermarket, and the chicken lollipops are there, lined up on a stainless tray in the chiller, already fabricated for you and ready to be marinated when you take them home. Even in the wet market, you can now buy parts of the chicken that you need, and the attending staff will prepare them for you according to what you need them for.
Just recently, my eldest sister Susan Dy, with whom my husband Raff and I are temporarily staying as he recovers from stroke and regains control over his body with the help of his physical therapist, brought home a big bag of chicken lollipops from the supermarket. The next day, she marinated them in the morning, and we cooked them for lunch. She also made sweet and sour sauce to go with the crispy, golden Chicken Lollipops
Here’s what she did:
Crispy Chicken Lollipops with Sweet and Sour Dip
For the chicken
1 kg. chicken lollipops
salt and pepper to taste
a sprinkle of sugar
cornstarch for dredging
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup cold water
1/2 tsp. salt
dash of pepper
oil for deep-frying
For the sweet and sour sauce
8 Tbsps. banana catsup
8 Tbsps. vinegar
9 Tbsps. sugar
14 Tbsps. water
salt to taste
2 Tbsps. vegetable oil
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pc. small onion, minced
2 pcs. tomatoes, deseeded and diced
1/2 pc. green or red bell pepper, sliced thinly
2 Tbsps. cornstarch
2 Tbsps. water
Directions
1. Wash chicken lollipops and pat-dry.
2. Season with salt and pepper to taste plus a sprinkling of sugar to balance the taste.
3. Dredge seasoned chicken lollipops in cornstarch.
4. Make the batter. Combine all-purpose flour, baking powder, cold water, salt and pepper. Mix well.
5. Dip chicken lollipops in the batter.
6. Fry battered chicken lollipops in hot oil until golden brown and crispy.
7. Remove and drain off excess oil on paper towel.
8. Prepare the sweet and sour dip. In a bowl, combine catsup, vinegar, sugar and water. Mix well or until sugar is completely melted.
9. In a pan, heat oil and sauté garlic and onion. Add tomatoes and bell pepper. Pour in the catsup and vinegar mixture. Let boil, then lower to a simmer.
10. Make a slurry by dissolving 2 Tbsps. cornstarch in 2 Tbsps. water. Pour as much of the slurry as needed into the sauce mixture. Mix to thicken.
11. Serve Chicken Lollipops with sweet and sour sauce as dip.