I don’t know where these things got their name – perhaps they look like an armadillo’s egg? I promise you, there is no actual armadillo in this recipe. I had to make that caveat 😂
What we actually have is delicious chicken breast stuffed with jalapeño & cheese and wrapped in bacon. I’m excited to share this recipe because it was absolutely delish! You can serve this as a meal OR cut the chicken in smaller pieces and make a pretty cute appetizer out of it!
What you’ll need:
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- About 20 bacon strips depending on the chicken size
- 8 jalapeños
- 8 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
- 1 Tablespoon Ranch Dressing mix
- Salt
- Pepper
- Paprika
How I did it:
Set your oven to 425 degrees.
Cover your chicken in Saran Wrap or a plastic bag and pound the breasts with a mallet until it’s about 1/2” thickness. This makes it easy to roll and ensures that it cooks evenly and quickly.
Mix the cream cheese, cheddar, and ranch dressing powder in a small bowl. Set aside.
Next, slice the jalapeños and remove the seeds and membranes. I leave just a few floater seeds in there because my husband and I love this to have a little kick.
Season your chicken with salt, pepper and paprika. Place a sheet of Saran Wrap down on your counter. Lay out 4 or 5 pieces of bacon on the plastic wrap. Place a piece of chicken on top of the bacon. Take two jalapeños and lay them lengthwise and fill with cream cheese mixture. Place 2 more jalapeños on top of the cream cheese filled peppers. Fold in the sides of the chicken (this keeps the cheese from running out when you are cooking.) As you are holding the chicken, roll it all up and secure with toothpicks. I included a video below to help. This is the most important part!
Place your “eggs” on a foil lined baking sheet and bake at 425 degrees for 35 minutes. Check your “egg” when time is up to make sure the internal temp is 165 degrees.
My chicken was perfectly done at 35 minutes. The bacon was browned just right. If you want your bacon a bit more crispy, you could turn the broiler on for a minute, but be careful! It can over do it quickly.
Let these lovelies rest for 5 or 10 minutes so that when you cut into it, all your cheese doesn’t just roll out. When you let it cool, that cheese stays with the chicken a lot better. Still, it’s delicious either way. Enjoy!