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 3-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! Learn more about my philosophy and how I test all of my recipes.
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, 176K+ on Facebook, 58K+ on Instagram, and 230K+ 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 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.
Carl says
Hi Mike,
I have a decent size harvest of Ghost peppers. I am going to try your pineapple recipe out, but just multiply the recipe by my harvest size. I have about 50-60 peppers all from one plant. Will this method of multiplying the recipe work or will it be way to hot? Thanks
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
You can multiply the recipe, Carl. It's really just making an extra large batch. The heat will be the same as long as you keep the original ratios. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Marshall Reagan says
mike where do you call home? I live in north Georgia & love growing & using hot peppers. I love growing habanero ,jalapeno & cayenne peppers. I want to try some of the hotter ones but don,t know where I can get just 1-2 plants of them because not many stores carry the real hot ones , or you can,t be sure you will even get what you think you are getting.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Hey, Marshall. I'm in the the Northern Illinois region, though looking to move more south in the near future. Looking forward to warmer weather and better pepper growing climate!
JEANETTE says
hi michael - when i was 4 years old, i was taken to a foster farm by my biological parents. i remember running after their car as they drove away. "wait...wait...you forgot me." i never saw them again. while i was there, even though the other children got bologna sandwiches, i was given pickled pigs feet. this hellish foster lady indeed ran a hellish farm. even though i was only 4, i knew she hated me. she put lots of pepper in my soup, pepper on my one small potato, and loaded it on my cold vegetables.
when i was 5, i was adopted by the most wonderful parents in the world!!! gradually, i was introduced to foods using just the right amount of pepper. it was here i learned to appreciate that wonderful word called HOT. after making your habanero jelly, i can hardly wait to make these sausage stuffed peppers.
thank you, michael, and your loving wife, for sharing your many God given talents with so many people. i am 76 now with many years as a concert pianist behind me...that thing called arthritis has taken over. gratefully, jeanette
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks so much, Jeanette, for your wonderful email and for sharing your story. I'm glad you are finding enjoyment in my recipes. Best to you.
Paul says
Hi Really enjoy your site have made a few hot sauces, but here in England we do have a limited supply of chillies, although some garden centres are branching out for different types. Also some of the U.K. palates struggle with the heat although i do enjoy them really hot, Can you advise me on how to cool some of them down as its difficult to gauge how hot some of our chillies are.
Thanks for any help Paul
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Hi, Paul. There are several ways you can temper the heat with peppers. Try coring them out, as most of the heat resides in the pepper innards, though superhots still have very hot flesh. You can dilute them, as in using only some of the hot pepper with other milder peppers, for a sauce, for example. Include a dairy, which counteracts the heat. I have a page you can check out for further ideas - How to Stop the Chili Pepper Burn.
Jody says
Hi Mike,
I came your across your blog while researching different hot peppers.
I was enjoying the information and photos, however several sentences were cut off mid-sentence, under the Peppers descriptions. This is disappointing, I would really have like to have read all the information you were attempting to share.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Jody, did you click the links to go to the actual pepper page? That is where the full information is listed. Best...
Mark says
Hi Mike:
Last year I made hot sauce using Inca Red Drops that was awesome. I had one plant that produced a phenomenal number of peppers. This year I planted 2 plants in the pepper patch and they are about the same size now as when I planted them in June. I was hoping that you could recommend a substitute from the pepper that would be similar in both heat and flavor notes. I really liked the fruity components. I will be going to a pick your own chile pepper farm and was hoping to get an equivalent substitute so that I can make my sauce for this season. Thanks so much for any suggestions.
Mark in NJ
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Hi, Mark. The Inca Red Drop pepper is a Peruvian ornamental type with pods that are sweet and a bit hot, from 10K-30K Scoville Heat Units. I believe they are similar to Chupetinha peppers, which are Brazilian. They seem to be quite related. I would sample some ornamentals to see if you can find a sweet/hot variety, though many don't have that great sweet flavor. For something more common that might work, look for ajis (there are MANY varieties), or Hawaiian hots, which I think have similar characteristics. Peppadews could work. Also look for a variety called Sugar Rush. Those are great!
Delmar Medley says
I'm not the only one that purchased a dehydrator just for peppers!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
I originally purchased mine for peppers, but now I use them (I own 2) for making all sorts of different things, from jerky, leathers, snacks, seasoning blends, so much more. Check out my Dehydrator Recipes and Info on the site. I'm also the author of The Spicy Dehydrator Cookbook, with lots of recipes, with and without chili peppers. I hope you'll check it out.
Nic Grigg says
Hi Mike,
Nic here, from sunny South Africa...
I have recently purchased my first batch of Superhot Chili Seeds, and I'm really excited to begin my journey down that path.
I have already learned a lot from your site, and can't wait to make the Hot Sauces.
I am an avid "Smoker", and hot and cold smoke various bits and pieces - including my own Chipotles. I currently make 14 of my own BBQ Sauces.
I am desperately looking for a decent recipe for Chipotles in Adobo, as we don't have much variety here, and I would love to make my own.
I have tried a few of the recipes on Google, but they aren't great..
Any chance you could recommend a good recipe?
Many thanks,
Nic
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Nic, thanks for your email. I appreciate it. I've never made chipotles in adobo as of yet, but will work to discern a good recipe. Hopefully soon! Welecome, and thanks again.
Michael says
Michael to Michael, (my friends call me Moose)
I have been experimenting with Hot Sauce for several months writing down the formula (recipe) for each one. I found your cooking process interesting and now question if I'm doing mine correctly. I have been mixing my wet ingredients in my blender, tasting as I go along to get the flavor I am looking for. Then I add each dry item...salt, fresh ground black pepper, sweeteners and a variety of other seasonings to taste. Once I have that, I add my chili's. I first started with the Reaper, but now I have moved up to Big Black Mama's, Brain Strains, Scorpions, to name a few. ( I have some wonderful Death Spirals on the plant right now) Once I have pureed the mix, I simmer the batch for amount 20 minutes. My pH averages around 3.2, although the batch with the Mama's hit 2.9. I make my own Pique vinegar.
Questions;
1) I remove the stems and the ribs of the chili. I usually remove most of the seeds. Should I leave them for more heat?
2) I often use organic apple juice and/or fresh fruit for some recipes, does this lessen the heat?
3) Once cooked, even with the low pH, should I "cure" the batch in the fridge?
4) Have you found any seasonings that did not work with hot sauce?
5) Do you have or know of a source with information on how to get a sauce to market?
6) What determines how the heat will either be immediate or is a back taste?
7) Am I being a pest? 😉
Thanks for your time.
Moose
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Hey, Moose - I think your procedure sounds great. Whatever works! To answer your questions:
1. Definitely remove the stems. Seeds/innards are optional. Some people like to remove the seeds because of bitterness. See this page - Should I Remove Pepper Seeds for a discussion on that. Most of the pepper heat is in the innards, so your hot sauce won't be as hot if you remove them. However, with superhots, the heat really permeates the pepper flesh, so you'll still get LOADS of heat.
2. Yes, you can dilute some of the resulting heat with fruit and fruit juice. It's a nice flavor combination, though.
3. You can enjoy the hot sauce right away, but I find that the flavors develop, mingle and mellow when they sit for a few days.
4. Seasonings are really to your own personal preference. Some people enjoy combinations that I don't particularly enjoy.
5. I'm working on writing some information on this, but in general, you can either find a co-packer who makes your recipe and packages it for you, or find a commercial kitchen and make it yourself, then bottle it and sell it. Most people go to shows to sell their stuff and grow enough to make deals with distributors.
6. It depends on the peppers chosen. Scorpions, for example, have a very forward initial STING, whereas 7-Pots have more of a blooming heat.
7. Not at all. Thanks for stopping by! Good luck with your hot sauces.
Graham Eade says
Good morning Mike;
Aussie Graham here, I wanted to let you know that I made your Chipotle Honey Mustard over the weekend.
AMAZING !!!!!
A big hit with my group of friends and now I have to make another double batch.
Thanks mate
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
That's GREAT, Graham! Glad everyone liked it!
Fred Truax says
Do you sell any pepper seeds?
Thank you
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Fred, I do not, but check our Buying Chili Pepper Seeds Resource page here.
Bob Giron says
I saw that you have a substantial garden where you grow a few peppers.
I was wondering how you avoided cross pollination of your different pepper species.
Looking forward to your feedback.
God Bless
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Bob, I don't worry about it because I don't save as many seeds as I used to, and when I do, it's fun for me to see if I get a cross of some sort. When I want something pure for a season, I'll just purchase new seeds or seedlings. One resource recommended growing sweet/mild peppers at distance of 150 with a barrier crop between them to avoid cross pollination, and 600 feet distance with a barrier crop for hot peppers. You can also use netting as well.
Dennis says
I think you guy's are great, keep up the good work. Thanks D.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Dennis! We love it!