Armadillo eggs aren’t actually eggs and don’t contain armadillo bits. They’re a combo of goodies stuffed and wrapped together to produce something definitely greater than the sum of the parts.
The name most likely comes from their similarity to Scotch Eggs, which are hard-boiled eggs wrapped in sausage and then deep-fried. The crispy bacon shell resembles an armadillo’s tough exterior shell, and since armadillos roam most corners of The Lonestar State, the name stuck.
Ingredients
- 8 jalapeño peppers
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 2-4 boneless/skinless chicken breasts (4 @ 6 oz or 2 @ 12 oz)
- 16-20 slices bacon
- Nonstick spray
- Wooden toothpicks/bamboo skewers
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°, line edged sheet pan with foil/non stick spray. Put bacon on the counter to warm up and become stretchy.
- Halve jalapeños lengthwise, keeping stem intact on one of the halves, and de-seed/de-vein. Cut cream cheese brick into eight equal rectangles.
- Add cream cheese to each jalapeño and press shut, trying your best to fully close. Set aside.
- Gently butterfly each chicken breast lengthwise to maximize size. Insert each breast between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound until thinner and a good size/shape to wrap around two stuffed jalapeños laid end-to-end and slightly overlapping. If using larger size breasts, cut each in half to get desired shape for wrapping.
- Pair jalapeños so each twosome is approximately the same size. Taking one chicken breast piece at a time, lay a jalapeño pair down end-to-end on it, and stem outward. Slide jalapeños together so overlapping slightly and the pounded breast piece will wrap around them as fully as possible. Holding this (admittedly slippery) thing together with one hand, start at one end and wrap the bacon around it, striking a balance of snugness and bacon coverage. When you get to the end of one bacon slice, slightly overlap the next one and keep wrapping. When you get to the other end of your “egg,” secure bacon with toothpicks/skewers and lay on sheet pan. Repeat.
- Place the sheet pan on the center oven rack and cook for about two hours. Rotate “eggs” a quarter-turn every half-hour so bacon is crispy all-around. Some cream cheese may ooze out, that’s ok!
- Remove from the oven, and gently from the sheet pan before the bacon starts to cool and potentially stick to foil. Take out toothpicks/skewers and serve.