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.
Donna says
I am a huge fan of your recipes and absolutely love your sight. Everything I have tried has been delicious. I am not much of a social media person and rarely review or provide comments but thought it would be remiss of me not to share my devotion. I cannot go to the grocery store without checking with you on the ingredients needed for the next meal adventure. Thank you so very much!!! We love you!
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks so much, Donna. I sincerely appreciate the kind words.
Frank says
I've been a chilli head for as long as I can remember. however my wife isn't so I been looking for a good fermented halbanero( my favorite pepper) hot sauce recipe. i came across this site and have had my mind blown. i got started on a recipe and I'll be trying out a couple of the food ones for myself very soon!
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks so much, Frank. I hope you find many recipes you enjoy.
van der Spuy Chris says
Hi Mike,
I really enjoy your site and it’s a fantastic source for recipes and ideas, however, can I suggest that you try where possible to also state measurement in metric units like grams in stead of teaspoons and cups as well as degrees C - for the sake of the rest of the world outside the US.
I noticed that the nutritional information at the bottom of the recipes are quoted in metric units.
Thank you and keep up your good work
Warm Regards from Melbourne Australia,
Chris
Mike Hultquist says
I appreciate it, Chris, and have been waiting for a good converter plugin for my site. I realize I should have been doing this sooner.
Jackie Smalley says
Really appreciate your site...Would love to meet both of you! Grew up in Libertyville IL and now in neighboring Grayslake. An avid gardener, photographer, artist, outdoors-lover, cook, and yes, chilihead, it's always great to see a super team in action.
Currently a cashier and supervisor at a local grocery store, it makes any day a pleasure to share so many food ideas, recipes (and tricks!) with my customers...most of whom are neighbors (and also friends).
Please keep your inspiration going strong.
Mike Hultquist says
Cheers, Jackie! I love how you roll! Yes, we used to live in Chicago, not far from you at all! We're in the Charlotte area, now.
Kalia Snell Cormier says
Wow! What a beautiful story and website!!! I’m so excited to have found y’all. I’m a Cajun girl from Southwest Louisiana. A little town called Gueydan (Duck capital of the world, I might add ) and spicy food is a life for me! I do t even care to eat anything mild or bland (of course we all have our limits tho). Boiled crabs and crawfish are always on the menu. My favorite ice cream is Tabasco Jalapeño w/ homeade vanilla blue bell, first tasted 20 years ago at the Avery Island salt mine/Tabasco, plant about an hour east of my home. That should tell u all u need to know .THANKS for the amazing content! As a mom of 3 and KK (grandma) of 2, I def know my way around the kitchen. But after 20 something years of it…u tend to get weary…thinking up what to cook can be the worst sometimes. I already can tell u will be a big help with that !!!♥️ Can’t wait to get into it!!!
Mike Hultquist says
Thank you, Kalia. I hope you find many recipes you enjoy!
R W Gibson says
What happened to the Chili Pepper magazine?
Mike Hultquist says
They ceased publication.
Sandy Young says
I signed up for Weekly emails, but I keep getting Daily emails.
Mike Hultquist says
Sandy, you're getting the Starter Series of emails, which is mentioned at the sign up. They stop after the first week or so. Then you'll get weekly + certain themed emails I send, such as for holidays, etc.
Phil says
Hi Mike, love your work! Quick one - with the Nashville Hot Sauce recipe is there any benefit or drawback to going 50/50 with butter and vegetable oil?
Mike Hultquist says
No drawback at all, Phil. Go for it! Feel free to post this on the actual recipe page. =) Enjoy! I appreciate it!!
Rose Pommier says
I just tripped over your site and tried the pollo asado. It was amazing. I’m hooked and looking forward to testing more recipes. Thank you.
Mike Hultquist says
Great! I hope you find many recipes you enjoy.
Suzi Hultquist says
Great recipe and Great last name!
Mike Hultquist says
Back at you, Suzi! Which recipe? I hope you'll post this on the recipe page! =)
Joe says
I would like to know the knives and sharpener you recommended a while back.
Ready to purchase again.
Mike Hultquist says
I love my Henckel Knives, Joe. Here is my affiliate link for the brand at Amazon: https://amzn.to/3VxaaI4. For sharpeners, I use a regular honing blade for daily use, a small handheld sharpener for now and then, and a Chef's Choice electric sharpener for once/year sharpening the blades.
Keith Chambers says
I have been a follower of yours for many years. Thank you both for all you share! I have a question about fermented hot pepper sauce. I had a great crop this past year and have 2 one gallon vapor-loc jugs filled with chopped peppers fermenting since October. I dont know how many pounds of peppers I used and want to add the correct amount of white wine vinegar and brine to finish the sauce. Could you tell me how many cups of fermented peppers go into the blender with 1/2 cup of brine and 1/2 cup of vinegar?
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Keith. It really depends on how thick you want your sauce. I would start with 1 cup of your solids with the brine and vinegar, then process. See how thick that is for you, then add more as desired. If you want a very thin sauce, start with 1/2 cup. Let me know how it goes!
Trudy says
I have made pepper jelly for years without a problem. This year I can not get it to set. I made a batch in the summer and another one yesterday. Both are totally runny. The summer batch I redid with lemon juice, and additional sugar and pectin. Still did not set.
Any suggestions?
Mike Hultquist says
You might look to your pectin product, Trudy.
Keith Chambers says
It happens to me all the time. Just put it back into pot and boil it down more.