Egg-in-a-Hole Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Name: Egg-in-a-Hole Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 4 slices bread; 3 ounces cheese (thinly sliced; Tillamook Medium Cheddar, Gouda, Jarlsberg, etc.); 1 tablespoon butter (melted); 1 tablespoon oil (any neutral oil: canola, light olive oil, etc.); 2 large eggs

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

An Egg in a Hole Grilled Cheese (or Bird in a Nest as we call it in the Pacific NW) is a deliciously messy twist on a classic breakfast sandwich. Easy to make and fun to eat!

Grilled cheese sandwich with a hole cut out of the middle and an egg cooked it in. Yolk is runny, and the sandwich hole sets to the side with yolk on it. Grapes and arugula on the side of the plate.

Jump to:

What's the Story Behind this Recipe?
What Goes into this Recipe
How to Make a Bird in a Nest
FAQs & Expert Tips
More Sandwich Recipes
Egg-in-a-Hole Grilled Cheese Sandwich

What's the Story Behind this Recipe?

One of my favorite childhood breakfasts was an egg cooked in the middle of a piece of pan-toasted bread. In the Pacific NW, we call that combo a Toad-in-a-Hole. (I later learned that a toad-in-a-hole is also an English breakfast dish involving batter and sausages, but that's another recipe for another day.) As a young mom, I made an army of toads-in-holes: they are fast and easy to make, and the kids love them because they are unique and fun to eat.

I did a little investigating and learned that Egg in a Hole, in fact, has a ton of names. Around the world it is known as egg-with-a-hat, egg-in-a-boat, toad-on-the-road, circus toast, one-eyed Jack, frog-in-the-pond, the Popeye, peek-a-boo eggs, hobo eggs, lighthouse eggs, and about fifty more aliases along the same lines.

It wasn't until the late-noughties, though, that I learned of the next stage in the egg-filled toast evolution: a fried egg and grilled cheese mash up known in Oregon as a Bird-in-a-Nest. (Allegedly named after the the catchphrase "put a bird on it!" from a signature Portlandia sketch.)

Whatever you want call it, this easy to make breakfast sandwich is simply a grilled cheese sandwich with an egg in the middle. Be sure to serve it with a knife and fork - it can get messy!

What Goes into this Recipe

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

★ Bread: Use any bread that you enjoy for a grilled cheese sandwich. Thinner, soft bread works best.

★ Cheese: Use a melty cheese like Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, Co-Jack, Gouda, Havarti, or American.

★ Butter: We use a 50/50 mixture of light olive oil and butter, which we brush onto the grilling surface before placing the sandwiches on it.

You can also use salted or unsalted butter, spread directly onto the sandwich faces. Mayonnaise can also be substituted.

★ Eggs: For best results, start with room temperature eggs.

How to Make a Bird in a Nest

Fry the Sandwich

Preheat an electric griddle to 275°-300°F (135°-150°C), or heat a heavy skillet over medium-low.

Layer sliced cheese between two pieces of bread.

Brush a 50/50 mixture of light olive oil and melted butter onto the grilling surface, or generously butter the outside face of each piece of bread.

Place the assembled sandwich on the preheated griddle and grill for 4 minutes per side, or until it is light honey brown.

Remove sandwich from heat, and onto a plate or cutting board.

A. Using a round biscuit-cutter, empty can, or the rim of a drinking glass, cut a hole out of the middle of the sandwich.

Process shots (A) Cutting hole from sandwich (B) Half-fried egg in the middle (C) Cooked egg int he middle.

Return the sandwich to the skillet, placing the cut sandwich-middle on the grilling surface outside the sandwich.

B. Crack an egg into the hole in the middle of the sandwich.

Continue to grill the egg int he sandwich for about 2 minutes; until the sandwich is golden brown and the eggs have set up well on the bottom.

Check the sandwich holes often as they grill: they seem to cook faster than the sandwich with the egg.

C. Flip the sandwich over and grill it on the other side until the egg is done to your liking.

Serve sandwiches warm, and be sure to offer a fork for eating it.

FAQs & Expert Tips

Why not grill the egg-in-the-hole at the same time as the sandwich?

The sandwich takes far longer to grill than the egg takes to cook. If you crack the egg in the middle of the sandwich at the beginning of the grilling process, the egg will be overdone by the time the sandwich is cooked.

By partially grilling the sandwich on both sides before cutting the hole and adding the egg, you end up with a golden sandwich and a dippable egg yolk in the middle.

Grilled cheese sandwich with a hole cut out of the middle and an egg cooked it in. Yolk is runny, and the sandwich hole sets to the side with yolk on it.

More Sandwich Recipes

For more recipes and cozy living tips, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for all of the latest updates.

An Egg in a Hole Grilled Cheese (or Bird in a Nest as we call it in the Pacific NW) is a deliciously messy twist on a classic breakfast sandwich. Easy to make and fun to eat!

_{Inspired by}_{The Portlandia Cookbook}_.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course: Breakfast, Lunch, Sandwich

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Prep Time:5 minutes

Cook Time:10 minutes

Total Time:15 minutes

Servings: sandwiches

Calories: 400kcal

Author: Renee

Equipment

1 2½-inch biscuit cutter or 3-inch; empty can, glass rim, etc.
1 electric skillet or heavy skillet
1 Spatula
1 pastry brush

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

4 slices bread
3 ounces cheese thinly sliced; Tillamook Medium Cheddar, Gouda, Jarlsberg, etc.
1 tablespoon butter melted
1 tablespoon oil any neutral oil: canola, light olive oil, etc.
2 large eggs

Instructions

Preheat an electric griddle to 275°-300°F (135°-150°C), or heat a heavy skillet over medium-low.
Combine melted butter and oil in a small bowl. Set aside.
Layer sliced cheese between two pieces of bread. Brush the butter-oil mixture onto the grilling surface (or generously butter the outside face of each piece of bread if you prefer).
Place the assembled sandwich on the preheated griddle and grill for 4 minutes per side, or until it is light honey brown.
Remove the grilled sandwich from the heat, and place it on a plate or cutting board.
A. Using a round biscuit-cutter, empty can, or the rim of a drinking glass, cut a hole out of the middle of the sandwich.
Return the sandwich to the skillet, placing the cut sandwich-middle on the grilling surface outside the sandwich.
B. Crack an egg into the hole in the middle of the sandwich.
Continue to grill the egg int he sandwich for about 2 minutes; until the sandwich is golden brown and the eggs have set up well on the bottom.
Check the sandwich holes often as they grill: they seem to cook faster than the sandwich with the egg.
C. Flip the sandwich over and grill it on the other side until the egg is done to your liking.
Serve sandwiches warm, and be sure to offer a fork for eating it.

Notes

We recommend using an electric griddle or skillet if you have one.

Nutrition

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.

Have you tried this recipe?Mention @TheGoodHeartedWoman or tag #thegoodheartedwoman!

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that we have recommended. Please check out our disclosure policy for more details.

Originally published January 9, 2015. Post has been updated with new content, images, and recipe instructions to improve reader experience.

Egg-in-a-Hole Grilled Cheese Sandwich

What's the Story Behind this Recipe?