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.
Robert Weller says
Well,Well,Well!
AS I WAS SURFING, I GAVE YOU TWO A CLICK. AND MAN YOU ARE THE ANSWER TO MY ENDEVOIRS WITH SOME EVENTS THAT ARE COMING VERY SOON, YOUR BETTERHALF IS AWESOME, AND YOU ARE NOT SO BAD YOURSELF...REALLY THOUGH, I WILL BE DEEPLY RESEARCHING ALL THAT YOU TWO ARE LIVING FOR, THAT i JUST LOVE. smoke on the water bar-ques services are IN! SORRY FOR THE CAPITAL LETTERS, i WAS SO impressed I LOST MY head!, SINCERELY, KIND REGARDS, rob
Mike Hultquist says
Glad you found us, Rob! I hope you find many recipes you love!
Dave Peart says
Monkeygland Sauce
Ingredients
2 tbsp. sunflower oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 red chili, chopped
125 ml Worcester sauce
250 ml Mrs. Ball\'s Original chutney
2 ripe tomatoes, chopped
2 tsp. paste
3 tbsp. white vinegar
4 tbsp. brown sugar
Method
To make the Monkeygland sauce,
Heat the sunflower oil in a pan over a medium heat.
Fry the onion, garlic and chili until the onion is brown.
Add the Worcester sauce, chutney, tomatoes, tomato paste, vinegar and brown sugar to the cooked onions and combine.
Allow the sauce to thicken, stirring occasionally to prevent the sauce from sticking to the pan
Once the sauce has reduced to a sticky, jam-like consistency, remove it from the heat.
As an ex South African, no Steak house would be worth its money without this sauce, can even get it in Arsetralia now
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Dave. Yes, I've actually had this sauce on my list to make for the site. One of these days I will get to it!
Brian Blackburn says
Mike,
LOVE the site and your recipes!! I’m living in North Carolina and want to send some of your sauces to my kids in New Jersey. Is there a way to get my sauces to be more shelf stable?
Thanks for giving us Chiliheads some great recipes!!
Mike Hultquist says
THANKS, Brian. Making sauces shelf stable is primarily about acidity. Shoot for 3.5 or lower for home canning. Or, you can look into pressure canning.
SugarRay says
Mike, I've been a subscriber for a long time. My 3 ring binder is loaded with recipes from your site. I grow a lot of my own peppers and although I likely spend more than if I bought them, there's just something about cooking with your own home-grown produce!
Do you have a link where I could make a contribution to help with expenses. I enjoy your recipes as well as all the other valuable info on your site such as the cookware and bottles to store home made sauced and oils.
Mike Hultquist says
I really appreciate it, SugarRay. No contributions needed, my friend! I made money on the ads on the site. I'd be happy if you bought one of my cookbooks and left a good review! You can also click an affiliate link to Amazon if you wanted to purchase anything. Otherwise, please just enjoy the recipes! Very kind of you!
Dave Phillips says
Mike, since joining your site I've tried several of your recipes and I have to say you don't disappoint in the least bit they have all been great and flavorful and I look Forword to each day's email to see what comes next.
Thank You.
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks so much, Dave! Glad you're enjoying the recipes!
John B Musa says
I looked around your site. Where do you reccomend buting chilis and spices. Maybe i missedit. ty
Mike Hultquist says
John, I don't have a preferred place to buy chilies and spices. I get them from many places, and often from highly rated vendors from Amazon.
LeRoy A Jennings says
Mike,
I've been on your weekly mailing list a couple of years, somehow dropped off and have had no luck getting back on. Can you help?
Thanks, LeRoy
Mike Hultquist says
LeRoy, did you add your email address to the sign up box on the home page? I will add your email, but you'll need to confirm it. - UPDATE: Looks like my emails being sent to you were "bounced", meaning they could no longer get through for some reason. You might want to check with your email provider to see if something is getting blocked.
timothy says
Thanking you is not enough. You have latterly change my
life. The fear of spice is gone. The taste is more than imagined. Your book is in the mail to me.
Like no other
you have opened the door for home cooking. Well maybe
Ms. Child who started me up is in contention. Cristine Cushing/ Dimitra's Dishes have been mainstays for
greek/italian dishes but a dash or pinch of spice will
only liven up the plate. Experiencing your world has
been life changing. Many thanks for your video presentations. Blandness is gone forevermore.
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks so much, Timothy! Very glad to be helpful and able to share my love for spicy cooking!
Alex Stenning says
Dear Mike,
Really like your teriyaki sauce but it won’t print! Any thoughts please?
Mike Hultquist says
Alex, there is a PRINT button right at the top of the recipe card, to the left of the title area. Let me know if you can't see it.
Umar S Hameed says
I came across your Jamaican Curry chicken recipe on Pinterest.
I love the ingredients and how simple it is.
I'm in the process of making it now, I will keep you posted.
From what I read, I will trying be trying more of your recipes.
Pass on to your wife great job on the photos.
Mike Hultquist says
Enjoy, Umar!
johan says
hi! awesome site - Thanks!
do you have recipes describing the quantities of the ingredients please?
for example xgrams of sugar to y grams of jalapeno etc?
obliged!
Mike Hultquist says
Johan, all of the measurements are in the recipe card at the bottom of the recipe posts.
Mike says
I’m looking to make a heat/sweet sauce…similar to Tiger Sauce. What do you suggest?
Mike Hultquist says
Mike, you might try this Homemade Mumbo Sauce: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/homemade-mumbo-sauce/. It's fairly similar.