When the word lollipops is mentioned, the first image that comes to mind is a ball of super sweet flavored candy on a stick which brings a smile to many faces - small or big! But my favorite kind of lollipop is not the one made with sugar but with chicken. Its the spicy kind, coated with a delicious sauce with notes of soy sauce, chili, garlic and tomato, flecked with onions, ginger, garlic and chilies. This spicy fun snack is a favorite with my kids and several people who have tried them.

I have always had these chicken lollipops in the deep fried form and never considered the possibility of making them healthy till my children started asking for them very often. As much as they taste good, I was not comfortable with the idea of the kids eating this deep fried food very often so I started to research recipes on the internet on how to make these healthier and I am very happy with the recipe I am sharing here today.

The chicken part used here is chicken wings. Now, a wing has 2 parts. To prepare the chicken for making these, the wing is first cut into these 2 parts. The skin is removed from the wing. Once the skin is removed, the meat is pushed down to one end of the bone such that it hangs like a lump of meat at the bottom. To make sure the meat is tender, the prepared chicken lollipop pieces are marinated in a mixture of yogurt, water and salt. This is kept in the fridge for 2-3 hours and ensures very moist chicken pieces.

After 2-3 hours, all the liquid is strained from the chicken and the chicken pieces are marinated in soy sauce, a small amount of ginger-garlic paste, salt, pepper powder and one egg. The chicken is coated very nicely with this mixture and allowed to rest in the fridge for another 30 minutes. These chicken pieces are sprinkled with cornstarch before being baked in an over under the broiler. Once cooked in the hot oven, these are coated in a sauce. The purpose of the cornstarch is that it allows the sauce to cling very nicely to the lollipops without actually frying them. To make them easy to hold and eat, a piece of aluminum foil is wrapped around the end of the bone.

These are a must try - they are a hit with the kids and adults alike and they are healthy enough to eat as often as you like!

Ingredients:

1 lb/450 gms Chicken wings (skin removed and prepared as described above)

1st marinade

1/4 cup yogurt

1/2 cup water

1 tsp salt

2nd marinade

1 1/2 tablespoon light soy sauce or 2 tsp dark soy sauce

1 tsp ginger garlic paste

1 egg

3-4 tablespoons corn starch

For the sauce

1/4 cup onion (finely chopped)

2 tsp freshly grated ginger

2 cloves of garlic - grated

1 spring onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon mild green chili (finely chopped) or 1 tsp hot green chili (finely chopped)

1 tsp olive oil

2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce

2 tablespoons tomato ketchup

1/2 tsp black pepper powder

1/2 cup water

salt to taste

Aluminium foil cut into small square / rectangular pieces to cover the ends of the bone

Method:

Prepare the chicken

1. Combine all ingredients of the first marinade and place the chicken pieces inside it and keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours.

2. Drain all the liquid from the chicken and place in a bowl. Add all ingredients of marinade 2 except the cornstarch to the chicken and allow it to rest in the fridge for another 30 minutes.

3. Turn on the broiler of the oven to the highest temperature and allow to preheat. Cover a rimmed baking tray with aluminium foil. Take out the chicken from the fridge and sprinkle with cornstarch and mix well to combine.

Cook the chicken

4. Place these chicken pieces on the baking tray such that the meat is lumped in one corner. Place this tray on the topmost rack of the preheated oven. Cook for about 5 minutes and flip them to the other side to ensure even browning on both sides. Cook for another 5 minutes or until done all the way in the middle.

5. Once cooked, allow the wings to cool on a the baking sheet without removing from the foil immediately. They will be much easier to remove once they have cooled down a bit.

Prepare the sauce

6. In the meantime, take a medium to large size non stick pan and add 1 tsp of oil to it. Place the pan on medium heat and once the oil is hot, add the chopped onion, garlic and ginger to it and cook for 3-5 minutes till the flavor of the ingredients is released and the onions become soft. To this, add the green chili and cook for another minute.

7. Add the tomato ketchup and chili garlic sauce to this and cook for another minute. Add pepper & salt to taste and combine well. Add the water to this and allow the sauce to cook till it reduces a bit.

8. Once the sauce has reached the desired consistency, add the cooked chicken and spring onions and combine well to coat the chicken completely with the sauce. Cover and cook for another minute or two so that all the sauce sticks to the chicken completely.

9. Remove in a serving plate and cover the meatless end of the bone with small pieces of aluminium foil so that it is easy and non-messy to eat the chicken lollipops.

9. Serve immediately as a snack or to accompany your Indian Chinese menu items.