Armadillo Eggs (stuffed Jalapenos)

These are a nice, leveled-up, version of standard stuffed jalapenos, with an added bonus of a super crunchy, potato chip coating!

Armadillo Eggs are usually covered in a layer of greasy meat. But that hides the best flavor - the pepper! For these stuffed jalapenos, I tweaked their traditional filling to create an awesome jalapeno popper/armadillo egg hybrid!

- Jalapenos, cut in half and cleaned (I used 14, each about 4")

~filling

- 8 oz cream cheese

- 16 oz shredded sharp cheddar

- 2 oz chopped black olives

- 2 tbsp chopped green onion (I used double this. But I LOVE green onion)

~coating

- 2 eggs

- 1 c. milk

- 2+ cupsbread crumbs

- crushed potato chips (I used a bit more than half of an 11oz bag)

Dipping Suggestions: Ranch, French Onion flavored sour cream dip, Raspberry-Chipotle sauce (normally found lurking around the bbq sauce in grocery stores - it sounds weird, but it's actually amazing.)

Cut and clean your peppers. If you don't want them to be as spicy, you can cook them in some boiling water for a few minutes. This will help dull down some of the heat - just make sure to dry them well afterwards!

Mix together your cream cheese, cheddar cheese, green onions, and black olives. I think rubber gloves make mixing and filling these peppers a ton easier, but they're not necessary. You can increase or decrease the green onions and black olives to your preferences, as long as the filling can still be held together by the cream cheese.

Mound a scoop of the filling into each pepper, rounding and smoothing the tops as you go.

Once all peppers are filled, stick them in the freezer while you prepare your coating.

Make sure the containers or bowls you use are big enough to fit the peppers in, and easily reach into.

In one container, mix together your eggs and milk.

In a separate container, add some breadcrumbs.

Gently coat each pepper in your egg mixture, then roll in breadcrumbs. Set the jalapenos back into freezer to dry while prepping the chips.

If you want a super thick crust, you can repeat this coating twice - but I would only suggest that if you plan to fry these.

Trade out your breadcrumbs for potato chips now. (You will still need your egg mixture)

You can crush these in the bag, or, I just wrapped some plastic wrap around a bottle and hit them until they cooperated. You don't want these too finely powdered or they get soggy.

Now you're going to repeat the same thing as before, only we're going from egg mixture into potato chips.

Gently press the potato chips into the peppers if they need some help sticking.

Again, let these dry.

I like fried things. But I hate TO fry things. So, for me, baking these was the only real option!

But! If you don't hate to fry things, you can absolutely fry these!

However, if you also hate to fry things (or just want a less greasy version!) - these bake up easily and crunchy!

Preheat your oven to 350°F - I like to put them on parchment paper, just in case any leak cheese

Bake until peppers are soft, cheese is melted, and coating is nice and brown.

* You can make these ahead and freeze them! While I have not tried frying them frozen - they can go straight from freezer to oven without thawing!