Have you ever tried an armadillo egg? No, wait, come back. I promise, this Texas-born favorite has nothing to do with roadkill or even actual armadillos (especially since armadillos don't lay eggs). If you're not familiar with armadillo eggs, let us tell you about this fun and tasty food.
The history of armadillo eggs is a little unclear. Everyone agrees that they are most definitely a Texas thing, and Homesick Texan was able to find a printed mention from a 1972 Texas newspaper article. Others say they were first made at Texas Tech, and during the 80s, Texas newspapers often published the recipe.
What, exactly, are they? An armadillo egg is a twist on a Scotch egg, which is a whole soft- or hard-boiled egg wrapped in sausage and deep fried. Unlike the Scotch egg, the armadillo egg doesn't use an egg. Going full Texas, it uses a jalapeño pepper, stuffed with a mixture of cream cheese and cheddar cheese, then wrapped in sausage and fried.
The meat wrapped around the pepper gives the food an egg shape, while the cheese mixture gives the jalapeño "egg" something that looks like an egg yolk.
If you're thinking that sounds like a jalapeño popper, you'd be correct. Except that poppers are generally just breaded and fried, without the addition of the sausage. These bites are like poppers turned up to 11, or more like a popper and meatball crossover, and we're absolutely here for it.
While the recipe is fairly basic, and easy to put together, you can try some variations. Instead of using pork sausage, try chorizo, hot sausage or Italian sausage. Try different cheeses in the cream cheese mixture; any shredded blend of Mexican cheeses would be tasty. Keep it keto or stick to your low-carbohydrate diet by holding off on the breading and simply baking or grilling it.
These stuffed jalapeños are perfect appetizers for any shindig (might we suggest making this dish for the Super Bowl party you're throwing in a few days?) and they work for weekend brunch, tailgating and backyard BBQs, too. Eat them with toothpicks for ultimate convenience!
They're so good that you might not even need a main dish. Honestly, make these once and everyone you know is going to beg for you to make them every time your friends get together. We've rounded up seven of the best armadillo eggs recipes for you, and we bet you're going to want to try every single one of them.
1. The basic version
Here's a basic, easy recipe to get you started. Use a seasoned coating mix (Bisquick works, too) and bacon bits mixed in with the breakfast sausage for more flavor. If you're taking them to a party, you might pop them back in the oven for a few minutes to get warm and crispy again. Get the recipe here.
2. Baked Armadillo Eggs
Another basic version, baked instead of fried and with plenty of flavor, with a total time of about half an hour. Make sure you spread the "eggs" out on the baking sheet so that each one gets crispy and done on the outside. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F as you prep for a quick and easy snack. Get the recipe here.
3. Grilled Armadillo Eggs
The BBQ rub on these brings them to another level. You don't have to deep fry these bite-sized treats. Use your grill to give them an excellent crust and smoky flavor. Get the recipe here.
4. Bacon-Wrapped Armadillo Eggs
The only thing that could make armadillo eggs better is to wrap them in bacon, right? Get the recipe here.
5. Texas Armadillo Eggs
This recipe is a nice twist on the basic version, using goat cheese instead of cream cheese for that smooth, tangy taste. Get the recipe here.
6. Use the whole jalapeño
This version is fun because it uses the whole jalapeño instead of a half or quarter. Use a large jalapeño for even more spice. You can even leave the stem on and it makes a cute handle for the appetizer! Get the recipe here.
7. Smoked Armadillo Eggs
Smoking your armadillo eggs is a no-brainer (even if you need to build your own smoker to do it). Use hickory, pecan or apple wood to get a smokey-sweet flavor that balances the spice of the jalapeño perfectly. With only 15 minutes of prep time, this recipe is hard to beat! Get the recipe here.
This post was originally published on February 7, 2020.
