Introducing the newest addition to your wing game – Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Chicken Wings. These tender chicken wings are coated in an irresistible sun-dried tomato pesto sauce, bursting with bold and flavorful notes that will have your taste buds singing. The combination of sweet and tart sun-dried tomatoes, savory garlic, and freshly grated parmesan cheese is a match made in heaven. These sticky wings will leave you saying “oomph!” with every bite and make you the hit of any party. So, if you’re ready to take your wing game to the next level, this is the recipe you need to try.
Need A Quick Meal Plan? If you're looking for a quick and easy meal plan, I've got you covered! Here are some delicious dishes to serve with Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Chicken Wings: Side: Cheesy Garlic Bread Salad: Summer Vegetable & Fonio Salad Drink: Hibiscus & Blueberry Agua Fresca
You’ve already had lemon pepper wings, buffalo wings, bbq wings, garlic parmesan wings – you know, the run down. But when you are ready to add a little VAR-I-E-TAY to your wing arsenal, make sure you remember these bad boys.
I love pesto. I’m pretty sure there isn’t a type of pesto I haven’t liked. I feel like pesto goes on everything, especially chicken.
Lemme’ splain how freaking good these things are. It’s giving kid on Christmas morning level of excitement, a teenager with their first car, or a dog chasing its tail. These wings are simply next-level deliciousness, and trust me; they’re worth every finger-licking bite!
SUN DRIED TOMATO PESTO CHICKEN INGREDIENTS
Wing Ingredients
- Chicken wings: Pat dry before cooking to ensure crispy skin.
- Avocado Oil: Use a high heat neutral oil like avocado oil for frying or baking the chicken wings.
- Garlic powder, Onion powder, and Italian seasoning: These spices add flavor to the chicken wings.
- Salt & pepper: Don’t leave home without it.
- Cornstarch: Mix with spices for a crispy coating on the chicken wings.
Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Sauce
- Sundried tomatoes in oil – These are the base ingredient for the pesto sauce. I recommend using sun-dried tomatoes in a jar packed in oil, not dry ones.
- Remaining ingredients (fresh basil leaves. parmesan cheese, pine nuts, garlic cloves, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, extra virgin olive oil, honey, and white wine vinegar) – sauce comes together so easily by dumping all the ingredients into the food processor.
How To Make Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Chicken Wings In An Air Fryer
For the Wings:
- Season chicken – Combine all of the seasonings in a plastic bag. Add chicken wings and shake until coated.
- Coat with cornstarch – Add cornstarch to the bag and shake again to coat.
- Cook in air fryer – Arrange the wings in the air fryer pan and cook at 400°F for 15 minutes, then flip and cook for another 15 minutes. Wings should have an internal temperature of 165°F.
For the Sun dried Tomato Pesto Sauce:
- Blend sauce ingredients – In a food processor, blend all the pesto sauce ingredients until finely blended. For a thinner consistency, add more oil.
- Heat Sauce – In a saucepan over medium-low heat, combine sundried tomato pesto, honey, and white wine vinegar. Cook for 5 minutes to heat through.
To Serve:
- Dress the wings: Remove chicken from the air fryer and toss in the sun-dried tomato pesto sauce until coated.
- Garnish & serve: Garnish with basil and shredded Parmesan, then serve warm.
What Type of Sun Dried Tomatoes Should I Use?
When it comes to choosing sun-dried tomatoes for this recipe, you have two options commonly found in most grocery stores: plain or ‘dry’ sun-dried tomatoes and sun-dried tomatoes in oil. Either type will work, but I personally prefer to use the ones in oil for their extra flavor. Just be sure to drain the oil and reserve it for future recipes. In fact, you can even substitute the olive oil in this recipe with the reserved oil from the sun-dried tomatoes for an extra burst of flavor.
Can I Use A Store-Bought Sundried Tomato Pesto Sauce For This Recipe?
Yes, if you’re short on time, I recommend using Fillipo Berio’s Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Sauce. It’s a flavorful mix of sun-dried tomatoes, basil, cashew nuts, olive oil, and Grana Padano cheese that provides a smooth and somewhat spicy taste, which is similar to the sauce in this recipe. Using a store-bought sauce will save you some preparation time and still provide a delicious flavor to your chicken wings.
Make Ahead & Storage Instructions
How to Make the Recipe Ahead: I recommend making the wings and the pesto sauce separately and then storing them in airtight containers in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to serve the wings, simply reheat them in the oven or air fryer until they’re hot and crispy, and toss them with the pesto sauce.
How to Store Leftovers: If you have any leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. To reheat, simply place the wings in the oven or air fryer until they’re heated through, and then toss them with extra sauce before serving.
If you have extra sauce add some heavy cream to it for a creamy sun dried tomato pesto sauce that you can mix with any pasta.
More Delicious Chicken Wing Recipes
- Wet Lemon Pepper Wings
- Wet Hot Honey Lemon Pepper Wings (Air Fryer Recipe)
- Kansas City BBQ Wings
- Sweet & Spicy Peach Sticky Wings
- Spicy Coca-Cola Party Wings
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I cook frozen chicken wings in the air fryer?
Well, technically, you can, but it’s not recommended. Cooking frozen chicken wings in an air fryer can result in tough meat, and they may not turn out as crispy as you want. Plus, since they are frozen, they will release water, which may cause them to take a little more time to bake.
How many wings can you cook in the air fryer?
It depends on the size of your air fryer basket. As a general rule, you should have the wings in a single layer inside the basket and not stacked. Most air fryer baskets can hold about 7-9 wings, depending on the size of the wings and the size of the air fryer basket.
How do I reheat chicken wings in the air fryer?
If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, you can reheat them in the air fryer. Simply set the temperature to 375°F, cook for 5 minutes, shake the basket, then increase the temperature to 400°F and cook for another 3-5 minutes until they’re reheated and crispy. I would recommend making some extra sauce to toss them in when they are done cooking.
Can I use other parts of the chicken for this recipe?
Yes, you can use other parts of the chicken for this recipe. Chicken thighs, drumsticks, and even boneless chicken breasts can work well. Just keep in mind that the cooking time may vary depending on the size and thickness of the chicken pieces. Adjust the cooking time accordingly and use a meat thermometer to ensure the chicken is fully cooked.
How do I know when the chicken wings are fully cooked?
To ensure that your chicken wings are fully cooked, there are a few methods you can use. The most reliable method is to use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the thickest part of the wing, which should reach 165°F (75°C) to be considered fully cooked and safe to eat.
If you don’t have a meat thermometer, you can also check the color of the meat by cutting into the thickest part of the wing. The meat should be white, and the juices should run clear, not pink or red. Additionally, the meat should easily pull away from the bone.
Before You Begin
Gather Your Tools
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- Air Fryer
- Gallon Storage Bags
- Cooking Spray
- Food Processor
- Saucepan
Recipe Prep
- Read through the recipe. This is the first time making a particular recipe; take a couple of minutes to read it through from start to finish. I promise it will help you move through the recipe quicker when you understand what’s coming next.
- If using frozen wings, make sure they are thawed out and patted dry before beginning the recipe.
- Measure out all of your ingredients in advance.
Ok, so boom! As you can see, these wings are robust and full of flavor from the savory pesto made with sun-dried tomatoes, basil, and garlic. And they are super easy to make. You just pop the wings in the air fryer and the sauce ingredients in the food processor, and together you’ll have crispy, juicy, flavorful wings that are sure to be a hit. Don’t just sit there drooling; grab your ingredients, and get to cooking these wings ASAP!
Ingredients
Wings
- 3 lbs chicken wings thawed
- ½ teaspoon Avocado Oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Sauce
- 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 5 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
Garnish
- 4 basil leaves finely chopped
- ⅓ cup parmesan shredded
Instructions
- Brush the bottom of the air fryer basket with olive oil or non-stick spray.
- Pat the chicken wings with a paper towel to dry off excess water. Toss the wings in a sealed plastic storage bag with the olive oil.
Prepare The Wings
- Combine all of the seasonings together (garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, and kosher salt) to create a rub for the chicken. Toss the chicken and the rub in the bag and share well so that the wings are completely coated. Add the cornstarch and shake again to coat.
- Place the chicken wings into the air fryer pan in a single layer being sure not to overcrowd the basket. You may have to cook them in batches depending on how large your air fryer is.
- Air fry the wings at 400°F for 15 minutes, then flip the wings over and air fry for 15 more minutes.
Prepare Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Sauce
- While the wings are cooking, add the sun dried tomatoes, basil, Parmesan, pinenuts, garlic, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and oil to the food processor and process until blended finely. Stop the food processor and scrape the sides of the bowl once or twice.for a thinner consistency, add additional oil.)
- To a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add ½ cup sun dried tomato pesto and stir in the honey and white wine vinegar. Cook for 5 minutes to heat through the ingredients.
Coat The Wings & Garnish
- As soon as the wings are done cooking, add them to a large bowl or storage bag with the warm sauce and toss to coat. Dress the wings with chopped basil, shredded parmesan and serve warm.
Notes
- On average, 1 pound of wings contains 4 full wings before they’re broken down into flats and drums? That means each pound has what we typically think of as 8 individual wings.
- Before cooking, it’s important to remove as much moisture from the chicken as possible. Any excess water can turn your wings soggy instead of crispy, so be sure to pat them dry with paper towels before seasoning and cooking.
- If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. To reheat, simply place the wings in the oven or air fryer until they’re heated through, and then toss them with extra sauce before serving.
- If you have extra sauce add some heavy cream to it for a creamy sun dried tomato pesto sauce that you can mix with any pasta.
Nutrition
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.
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