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.
Kevin Cullen says
Please send me all your recipes that include chicken and pineapple together. I have one from you. Love the blog. Kevin Cullen
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Kevin. Really it's best to try the site search. Good luck!
J Power says
Howdy Mike! Love your recipes -- so much so, that I have recenty purchased a relatively high end Food Processor and Masticator. You truely inspire.
I have a Sauce recipe request (hope this is the right spot for it): Kewpie style Mayo! The Japanese recipe suggests MSG but I am hesitant, and also looking for a drop in calories from the standard recipe (the popular brand on Amazon is 100 Cals PER TBSP!. Ouch. It is also @ $9.00 a bottle. Yikes.
Any pointers would be appreciated. Cheers to you and Patty!
Mike Hultquist says
I don't have a recipe specifically, but will keep it in mind! I appreciate it.
Lisa says
Hey Mike, my husband and I love your site! There isn’t a recipe we haven’t tried where we haven’t been blown away by the flavour! Thank you for putting so much thought and detail in to everything you post.
Request: Perhaps a post listing your recipes where you’re able to use thawed, frozen peppers? In Canada, we have a short window to harvest peppers, and freezing them whole is a super quick way to savour the flavour (along with all your preserving recipes - but I only have room for so many jars!).
Any and all help is appreciated. I recently asked about the sambal oelek, to which you quickly responded (thank you!), so thought I’d ask about more recipes where that’s possible.
Many, many thanks! -Lisa
Mike Hultquist says
Hi, Lisa. Actually, I have a post on this that you can review here - Cooking with Frozen Chili Peppers: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/cooking-with-chili-peppers/the-virtues-of-frozen-jalapeno-peppers/. I just made some updates. Really, you can do most of the recipes on this site with frozen pods, after thawing, etc. Let me know if you have any questions, and feel free to contact me anytime.
Lisa says
You’re awesome! Thank you!
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks!
Bill Baskin says
Good Morning Mike.
Fabulous content you guys put together…but one thing is missing in my opinion.
Our family would love to see canning menus for the sauces and condiments. Our garden is huge and produces an abundance of freshness. If only your recipes included “suitable for canning” options.
Thank you, Bill
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Bill. I do have some separate canning information on the site, and on some of the recipes, though it isn't a big focus of mine. I hope to move more in that direction in the future. I appreciate the comments.
Bill says
Made more than a few batches of the cowboy candy. Great stuff. Added a sliced habanero to the last batch and that livened up things a little!
Was frying some bacon and decided to add some candy into the skillet and that seasoned the bacon just fine!
Mike Hultquist says
Sounds wonderful, Bill. Thanks.
cindi says
I'm disappointed you did not have more spare rib sauce recipes.
Mike Hultquist says
Cindi, I have several BBQ sauces and other sauces that would be GREAT for spare ribs.
Vince Spurgeon says
Greetings Mike, I've made many of your salsa and hot sauce recipes and they are all amazing. Thank you for helping me learn how to be a chili pepper madman. I'm looking for a recipe for a simple salsa that i see in local taco shops. Its very thin and I can see tiny bits of arbol chilis in there. It has kind of a brown color but again is very thin in texture but full of flavor. I'm guessing maybe a couple tomatillos, a serrano chili, a few arbol chilis, cilantro, onion and salt. Can you help me out with a recipe for a salsa like this?
Mike Hultquist says
Hey, Vince. Glad to be helpful. I guess there could be several types of salsa that could fit. One is Salsa Macha, which is oily and a bit like chili crisp: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/salsa-macha/. Could be Salsa Roja, but with some chile de arbol peppers: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/chili-pepper-recipes/sauces/salsa-roja-mexican-red-table-sauce/. Or maybe something like this Chile de Arbol Salsa: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/chile-de-arbol-salsa/.
Check out my Salsa Recipes for other options: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/chili-pepper-recipes/salsas/. Feel free to email me a photo and I can try to help more.
Lisa says
Just signed up for your MADNESS
Just made the blistered jalapeños to go with my chicken fajitas and they were yummy!!
I have lived in the SW for years and also am well traveled and never saw them on any menus…so thanks. How weird
Look forward to exploring your sight.
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Lisa. I hope you find lots of recipes you enjoy.
Charlie says
Hi Mike,,,do you have a go to pulled pork recipe?
Mike Hultquist says
Charlie, I have several on the site, and it really depends on how I want to cook it as well as flavors. I LOVE this one for No Fail Smoked Pulled Pork, which is finished in a crockpot: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/smoked-pulled-pork/
This Pressure Cooker Pulled Pork recipe always delivers and it's FAST: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/chili-pepper-recipes/pork/pressure-cooker-pulled-pork/
Also, check out my Carnita recipe, which is essentially Mexican pulled pork. No joke, this is THE BEST pork. You can play with seasonings to your liking. https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/carnitas/
I hope this helps!!
Trish says
I’ve enjoyed Chili pepper madness for several years now.
Thanks for the great content.
Unfortunately, I’m really turned off by your advertising.
Perhaps less politically offensive and divisive ads
Mike Hultquist says
Trish, I have political ads turned OFF on the site, but there are certain empty "buckets" that get filled with ads that follow the user around. So unfortunately, those political and divisive ads have nothing to do with my site, but with Google, as Google has targeted you with these ads for some reason. You may want to review some of your other web viewing habits to see why. Sorry.
Stan Dorsey says
Mike I love your recipes. They are well thought out and I can tell you really work at making sure they have been throughly tested before you publish them. Just one request- would it be possible to include the weight of the ingredients? What is a small onion?
Again thank you for all you do
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Stan. I guess I'm not THAT precise of a cook, where I use exact weight measurements with things like onions and peppers, as they can vary in size. With many recipes, the recipe will turn out pretty much the same with a large onion vs a medium one, and you can always easily add in more peppers, etc, to taste. Same with garlic. For a "small" onion, maybe the size of a tennis ball or even a little smaller, just not one of those HUGE ones you can get at the store. I appreciate the comments!
Dan says
Love your site! A question for you about smoking jalapeños...
You recommend 200° for smoking. What about 225? I'm looking at a new smoker with an automated temperature control, but it can only operate at a minimium of 225.
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Dan. Yep, you can do 225 degrees F. Enjoy!
Joe says
Mike,
I've accumulated so much hot sauce that I'm running out of space and containers. I have batches of peppers now fermenting in salt mash (as compared to brine mash). Question: can I hot water bath can these for later use instead of converting them to sauce immediately? I've done a lot of hot water bath canning, but never tried it with pepper mash. I'd hate to ruin them.
Thank you very much for your previous valuable advice.
Mike Hultquist says
Hey, Joe. If your pH is low enough (shoot for 3.5 or lower for home canning), then yes, you can water bath your mash, though you might have issue with pressure if it continues to ferment. Could pop the cans/explode. It would be best to stop the fermentation process by cooking the mash, though that destroys the probiotic qualities. Still good flavor, though.