Welcome to Chili Pepper Madness, where spicy food is always on the menu. We are here to bring you easy-to-follow recipes you can make at home whenever you want, and as SPICY as you want, too.

Hey there, I’m Mike! (Also known as the guy behind Chili Pepper Madness!)
I’m a 2-time cookbook author and lifelong chilihead who’s been obsessed with bold, spicy flavors for as long as I can remember. Together with my wife, Patty, I’ve built Chili Pepper Madness into a go-to resource for anyone who loves adding a kick of heat or bold flavor to their cooking.
My goal is simple: to show you how to take everyday ingredients and turn them into exciting, flavor-packed dishes you’ll love to make and share.
Whether you’re a fan of fiery heat or just a hint of spice, I’ve got recipes, pro tips, and proven techniques to help you bring bold flavors to life in your kitchen. I’m here to help you grow as a cook and maybe as a chilihead, too!
I’m constantly inspired by the incredible ways chili peppers and other vibrant ingredients are used around the world, from comforting American classics with a spicy twist to global cuisines like Thai, Sichuan, and Caribbean, and many other countries.
Every recipe on Chili Pepper Madness is developed, tested, styled, and photographed by me (with help from Patty in the Photography department!) I don’t hire this out like so many other recipe sites. No way! I love bringing my passion for spice to your life!
I started this site over 25 years ago, long before food blogs were a thing, as a way to share my love of chili peppers and hot sauce. It was originally called Jalapeno Madness, but we’ve evolved and we’ve been growing and growing ever since.
We now have millions of visits every month, nearly 200K followers on Pinterest, 78K+ on Facebook, 50K+ on Instagram, and 140K+ on YouTube. I love connecting with you all!
I was even the YouTube Creator of the Day and have a silver plaque from YouTube! How awesome is that?

Patty and I recently made the move from Chicago, IL, to Charlotte, NC, where we’ve been exploring Southern food and BBQ, adding even more depth to our love of spicy cuisine.
We make it a point to travel frequently to study and experience food from around the world. We’ve been all over the United States, the Caribbean, Mexico, Spain, Hungary, Brazil, Argentina, Australia, Hawaii, even Antarctica!
Everywhere we go we seek out culinary knowledge in the form of cooking classes, food tours, and events, all in search of delicious cuisine so I can share what I learn with you.
Whether you’re a seasoned cook or just getting started, I’m here to help you level up your cooking game.
Let’s get spicy together! Check out my Recipe Index with over 1,000 recipes and dive into the world of bold, exciting flavors.
Features
I am proud to have been featured on YouTube Creator of the Day, WGN News, the Dishing Podcast, and Chile Pepper Magazine, where I was a writer for years.
I’ve been featured on CNN, NY Times, Buzzfeed, Taste of Home, Delish, PopSugar, SheKnows, and Parade.
I’ve also been featured by some fellow food bloggers including Recipe Tin Eats, Tastes Better from Scratch, Salt and Lavender and Downshiftology.
What You'll Find at Chili Pepper Madness
- Lots of Easy Recipes. Some recipes take a while to make and require a certain number of steps, but that isn't my focus. You'll find many recipes you can make in 30 minutes or so and don't require a ton of ingredients.
- Customizable Heat Levels. My recipes are spicy, sure, but I do my best to show you how to adjust them to your own preferred heat and spice level. We believe that flavor is the most important thing, not just heat.
- Dishes from Around the World. Spicy food can be found all over the world, and I just love to learn about it. Thai cuisine has some of the hottest food in the world, as does Chinese cuisine, particularly from the Sichuan region. But I follow the spices and peppers all over, from Asia to South America and anywhere I can follow.
- Classic American Dishes. America has so much to offer when it comes to food, especially spicy food with big flavor. You'll find Cajun cooking (a favorite!), dishes from the American south such as BBQ, low country cooking and more, regional favorites and anything I think you'll love.
- Chili Peppers! I am so obsessed with chili peppers, hence the name of the site. I grow a big variety every year, from milder sweet peppers to the hottest of the superhots. And I cook with them all. You'll find a big list of chili pepper types, preserving information, growing information and more so you can seriously rock the garden and make your own unique recipes and spices from scratch.
- Superhot Recipes. Yes, I have many recipes for those chiliheads at the top of the scale, including recipes with ghost peppers, scorpion peppers, the Carolina Reaper and more.
- Hot Sauce Recipes. This is where I began! I love making my own hot sauce and can show you how to make many different types, including fermented and non-fermented.
I hope you'll explore the site and learn for yourself.
A Bit About Mike
- I'm the Content Creator. I make all the recipes and write them up, as well as write all of the content here on the site. Everything comes from me. I style the dishes and take some of the photos, but that is primarily Patty's job, which leaves me more time to cook!
- I'm a Cookbook Author. I am the author of "The Spicy Food Lovers' Cookbook", "The Spicy Dehydrator Cookbook", and others. By my books alone, you can tell that I am a spicy food aficionado.
- I'm a Screenwriter. Yes, I am a produced screenwriter. Here is the IMDB link if you'd care to take a look. My produced credits include the movies VICTIM, ARENA (starring Samuel L. Jackson and Kellan Lutz) and 12 FEET DEEP. I've been hired to write studio scripts and have optioned others as well. I'm still actively writing.
- I'm a Fiction Writer. I love to write fiction, mostly darker stuff, horror, thrillers. I've published fiction novels and numerous short stories, and have even edited an anthology. I'm also an active member of the Horror Writers Association and get to vote for the Stoker awards. See more about my screenwriting and fiction.
- I'm a Beer Lover. I love craft beer and actively explore local breweries. My favorites are IPAs, Pale Ales and Wheat Beers, though there are so many to enjoy.
A Bit About Patty
- I’m the Photographer, Organizer and Anything Needed. I feel super lucky to be able to do this job full time and I love every minute of it. It’s so great to wake up each morning excited about your job. I’m so passionate about food and love seeing all of you making the recipes and finding your own enjoyment in the dishes.
- I Love Gardening. I love growing our own peppers, tomatoes and other yummy delights. Fresh herbs and produce make every dish taste so much better and I find so much joy in growing it ourselves.
- I Love Spicy Food. Working on our Madness websites has been very rewarding for me. I’m a total converted chilihead now and crave the spice that Mike cooks all the time. There is rarely a dish served in our house without a chili pepper in it, or some sort of spicy flavor blast, and I love it.
- I Love Traveling. I love planning trips and going on them. We moved to North Carolina not too long ago so we could be between the mountains and the beach. I love to relax on the beach with a book or go hiking in the mountains and now we can do this very easily. I also love foodie trips and traveling all over the world. I'm always looking to experience the food in various places. And I love to plan parties, with food always being the most important part.
Some Recent Favorite Recipes
- Pollo Asado Recipe. Mexican roast chicken is so good! It's the ultimate roast chicken with bone-in chicken marinated in citrus and spices, quick grilled then roasted for big flavor. So tender and juicy.
- Kung Pao Chicken Recipe. This is the ultimate stir fry with chunks of marinated chicken stir fried with peppers, scallions and peanuts and an easy but flavorful sauce. Nice and spicy.
- Tikka Masala Recipe. This recipe is a creamy Indian-style curry with chunks of yogurt-marinated roasted chicken simmered in a flavorful curry sauce. It is very comforting and perfect for any curry lover.
- Texas Chili Recipe. A bowl of perfection right here! This Texas chili is authentic, meaty, just the right amount of spicy, and not a chili bean in sight.
- Grilled Jerk Chicken Wings. These chicken wings are huge on flavor, with wings rubbed down with loads of jerk seasoning, then grilled until nice and crispy. Fire up that grill, my friends!
- Smoked Jalapeno Poppers. This is the ultimate party food with bacon wrapped jalapeno peppers stuffed with loads of melty cheese and seasonings, then smoked for the most outstanding flavor. These will be your new favorite poppers!
- Homemade Buffalo Sauce Recipe. This is so easy to make with hot sauce, butter, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar and more – it’s so much better than anything you can grab from the store.
- Muffaletta Sandwich Recipe. I love this one! This is the ultimate sandwich from New Orleans, piled high with Italian meats, cheese, and a homemade spicy olive tapenade. Feeds a crowd!
- See Mike's Favorite Recipes and Patty's Favorite Recipes.

Mary Kay Thornburg says
Simply delicious! Restaurant quality
Marsha A Brush says
I can't print the Scoville graphic you emailed July 7. I created a Google account. I do not want to use Chrome. I use a desktop computer, so I don't have a Google App to open the print job. I have a picture of the Scoville chart with a note on top that says Printable-PDF, the Printer icon opens my printer window where the squirrel cage spins and spins and then stops - never showing anything to be printed. Any suggestions? I do love all your pepper info - especially how to dry all the peppers I grow in my garden. Hope you can help.
Mike Hultquist says
Marsha, best to email me directly. You don't need a Google account or App, just a browser.
Joseph Owens says
You forgot the dragon breath pepper on one of the 25 top list of hot peppers
Mike Hultquist says
Joseph, it is included in my list.
Prema Vazirani says
Hello Mike, I look forward to your email recipes. First food inspiration thru photo or pictures, credit goes to Patty for beautiful pictures she has been posting for each dish. Thank you Patty and Mike!!!
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Prema. Patty does take amazing photo. We make a great team. We appreciate it!
Lisa Murphey says
I have been following you for at least 5 years and have turned friends onto your site/recipes all with rave reviews and regular checking your recipes.
My first recipe I tried was your pork chops with carolina mustard sauce, I’m from Memphis and never made a good sauce. It was outstanding! Been loyal ever since.
I’m challenging you to create a bbq pork egg roll, at least 3 inches in diameter…none of those skinny eggs rolls. I worked at a place called Double J Smokehouse and Saloon when i moved back to Memphis after a 20 year career in the film industry. I had to come back and care for my parents, but needed to keep working towards retirement. ok…their egg rolls were outstanding served with a spicy mustard bbq sauce and smoky bbq red sauce. Addictive!
Now that i’m retired and cook more I’d like your take on this treat! I’m going to work on my rendition, but even after talking to the owner of the restaurant I’m still not sure how to accomplish this treat.
Any thoughts? I think you can do it and yes slaw is in the stuffing, but not a mayo slaw. Maybe just rub.. Let's get at it! Ha!
Best wishes to you and yours.
Murphey
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks so much, Murphey. That does sound like a tasty recipe. Not sure if I can add it to my list, but I'd sure enjoy it! I'm sure it's getting tender pulled pork with a creamy slaw, roll it up in a large egg roll wrapper, then deep fry it. Maybe I'll get to that one day! I'd love to hear about your film industry experiences.
Marriah says
I would love a cookbook of everything you have on your website. Your recipes are my go to and I love spicy food. Thank you for all the hard work you do and maintaining these recipes and this site.
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks so much, Marriah! I actually have a new cookbook coming out this November with many favorites from the site!
Patrick J Greene says
I really like the recipes for ideas. Why do none of your recipes have starting quantities. Like for the Mango-Habanero hot sauce, it doesn't say how much mango to peppers along with a starting point for salt and vinegar. I have a hot sauce recipe that works well for me so I try to adapt your recipes to may basic starting recipe. But I have never added fruit, so I don't have any idea how much of it to use.
Mike Hultquist says
Patrick, I have exact quantities for all of my recipes in the Recipe Card at the bottom of each post (just above the comments). Let me know if can't find it.
Paul says
Your recipes and knowledge of spicy foods is truly amazing. I keep a catalog for all of your recipes and tips on how to become a true Connoisseur of spicy foods. It is obvious that both you and your beautiful wife take a serious attitude about the work that you do. I really enjoy reading your advice and tips on how to make the taste of spicy food enjoyable. I have learned a lot from you and your immense knowledge of spicy food from around the world. Thanks so much for sharing.
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks so much, Paul. I'm constantly studying and learning, and I love to share what I learn and experience. I appreciate your comments.