Chili Peppers 5 Ways

Cooking with fresh chili peppers adds big flavor (without calories) to all kinds of recipes – even dessert! Whether you’re a fan of mild peppers or four alarm heat, light a fire in your kitchen with these 5 dishes.
grilled shrimp lettuce serrano

Cooking with fresh chili peppers adds big flavor (without calories) to all kinds of recipes – even dessert! Whether you’re a fan of mild peppers or four-alarm heat, we're breaking down the different types of these tiny spice powerhouses. Then, light a fire in your kitchen with five hot dishes.

Poblano

The mildest of the bunch, you can use dark green poblanos in place of green bell peppers. They’re exceptional for sautéeing, roasting, stuffing, or making sauces.

RECIPE: Chicken Pepian
Anaheim

Lesser-known Anaheim peppers have a little bit of heat and a sweet crunch. Roasting or grilling enhances their natural sugars. Follow these tips from the Food Network Kitchens for perfect roasted peppers, then make this salsa.

Serrano

Slender and bright green, serrano chilies are a good multipurpose pepper. They register in the middle of the heat scale, and taste great raw in guacamole, salsa or in a spicy sauce for seafood.

Jalapeno

With slightly less heat than serranos, jalapenos are well suited for pickling, roasting or baking. Remove the seeds and inner membranes to tone down the heat.

Habanero

These tiny peppers pack a super hot punch. Thousands of times hotter than other chilies, proceed with caution when using these babies – they’ll knock your socks off. Pair them up with tangy pineapple for a cool (and hot) sorbet.

Dana Angelo White, MS, RD, ATC, is a registered dietitian, certified athletic trainer and owner of Dana White Nutrition, Inc., which specializes in culinary and sports nutrition. See Dana's full bio »

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