This last week, my baby brother Luke told me admiringly that I had finally done it.
“To which it do you refer?” I inquired.
“IT!” said Luke.
Luke was referring to this.
This sandwich blew my mind. It was the perfect sandwich. I do not use the phrase ‘perfect sandwich’ lightly. It is a very serious appellation to give a sandwich*. This one earned it.
*Could I possibly use the word ‘sandwich’ any more? There just doesn’t seem to be any way around it. And so I’d like every single English and composition teacher reading this to take a muscle relaxant right now to help them get through the rest of this post without cringing themselves into spasms.
Let me tell you what makes this bad boy so very bad*. The sandwich is built of naan brushed with ghee, tandoori style grilled chicken, cucumber and yogurt salsa, crunchy pickled onion rings and candied jalapenos. Un-bloody-believably delicious. The Evil Genius declared it to be ‘A Second-to-Naanwich’.
*Bad in a good way. As in phat. Not fat. It’s totally fly. I should probably stop now. Fo shizzle.
Every single component of this sandwich was made from scratch. Okay, so I didn’t grow the lettuce greens, spices or the chicken, but shy of that, all homemade. And over the next few posts, I will give you the recipes to make each component needed to reproduce this amazing sandwich in your own kitchen.
Even though this sandwich alone is worth the work of making each of these building blocks, you’re not just canning, yogurt, bread, and grilling for one purpose. Each of the ingredients can be used for multiple recipes. This is a springboard recipe. Once you’ve mastered each component, the world is your oyster. Are you ready for the first part? Here we go!
We’re starting with Candied Jalapenos for a very good reason. After being made, they need to sit for at least two weeks before you crack open the jar to start eating them. And by need, I mean it’s strictly optional, but you’ll be glad that you did. The flavors need time to meld and marry.
Candied Jalapenos. Ah. There’s a story here. A couple months ago, my friend Katie casually mentioned eating a sandwich made with candied jalapenos. She was singing the praises of what she described as an addictive jar of goodies. Then she said the magic words, “I wish I could figure out how to make these at home.” By this point, you know me enough to know what affect that statement has on me, right? I quizzed her on the texture, flavor, and appearance of the jalapeno rings. I begged for photographs. I had her send me a picture of the ingredient list on the label. I asked her to describe the flavor to the very best of her food blogging abilities. She was game. She provided all the information and even sent a link to a recipe that she thought looked like it would come close to the benchmark for her.
After carefully examining close to thirty recipes on candied jalapenos (who KNEW there were so many people candying jalapenos?) I called my local Cooperative Extension office to pick the brain of their home food preservation specialists. Since jalapenos are a low-acid food, some precautions need to be taken when canning them. You have two choices for safely canning peppers of any kind; you can pressure can them or you can acidify (i.e. add vinegar, lemon juice, etc…) the liquid in which you pack the peck of pickled peppers.
I opted for acidifying the pepper liquid because I wanted to maintain some of the texture of the peppers through the process. Pressure canning these would turn them to flavorful mush. The result was gobsmackingly, head-spinningly, brain-addlingly delicious. Sweet, spicy and savory, candied jalapeno rings are way too easy to eat on just about everything. I’ve stashed them in sandwiches, chopped them up on baked beans, tucked them into tacos, used the syrup to brush meat on the grill, perched a couple rings on top of a cream cheese laden cracker and all sorts of other evil things.
For such a simple thing to can, these pack tons of flavor. You’re going to want to make as many of these as you possibly can simultaneously, because once that first jar is cracked open you’re not going to be able to stop eating them. And I mean it.
Hey! Don’t forget to come back over the next few days to get the other components to my Second-to-Naanwich. You will love me. That’s a promise.
Candied Jalapenos
Scroll to the bottom for an easy-print version of this recipe!
Yield: About 9 half-pint jars of Candied Jalapenos plus additional jalapeno syrup.
Ingredients:
- 3 pounds fresh, firm, jalapeno peppers, washed
- 2 cups cider vinegar
- 6 cups white granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
- 3 teaspoons granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
Wearing gloves, remove the stems from all of the jalapeno peppers. The easiest way to do this is to slice a small disc off of the stem-end along with the stem. Discard the stems.
Slice the peppers into uniform 1/8-1/4 inch rounds. Set aside.
In a large pot, bring cider vinegar, white sugar, turmeric, celery seed, granulated garlic and cayenne pepper to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the pepper slices and simmer for exactly 4 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the peppers, loading into clean, sterile canning jars to within 1/4 inch of the upper rim of the jar.
Turn heat up under the pot with the syrup and bring to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for 6 minutes.
Use a ladle to pour the boiling syrup into the jars over the jalapeno slices to within 1/4-inch of the rim. Insert a cooking chopstick to the bottom of the jar two or three times to release any trapped pockets of air. Adjust the level of the syrup if necessary. Wipe the rims of the jars with a clean, damp paper towel and fix on new, two-piece lids to finger-tip tightness.
*If you have leftover syrup, and it is likely that you will, you may can it in half-pint or pint jars, too. It’s wonderful brushed on meat on the grill or added to potato salad or, or, or… In short, don’t toss it out!
Place jars in a canner, cover with water by 2-inches. Bring the water to a full rolling boil. When it reaches a full rolling boil, set the timer for 10 minutes for half-pints or 15 minutes for pints. When timer goes off, use canning tongs to transfer the jars to a cooling rack. Leave them to cool, undisturbed, for 24 hours. When fully cooled, wipe them with a clean, damp washcloth then label.
Allow to mellow for at least two weeks, but preferably a month before eating. Or don’t. I won’t tell!
- 3 pounds fresh, firm, jalapeno peppers, washed
- 2 cups cider vinegar
- 6 cups white granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon celery seed
- 3 teaspoons granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- Wearing gloves, remove the stems from all of the jalapeno peppers. The easiest way to do this is to slice a small disc off of the stem-end along with the stem. Discard the stems.
- Slice the peppers into uniform ⅛-1/4 inch rounds. Set aside.
- In a large pot, bring cider vinegar, white sugar, turmeric, celery seed, granulated garlic and cayenne pepper to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the pepper slices and simmer for exactly 4 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the peppers, loading into clean, sterile canning jars to within ¼ inch of the upper rim of the jar. Turn heat up under the pot with the syrup and bring to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for 6 minutes.
- Use a ladle to pour the boiling syrup into the jars over the jalapeno slices. Insert a cooking chopstick to the bottom of the jar two or three times to release any trapped pockets of air. Adjust the level of the syrup if necessary. Wipe the rims of the jars with a clean, damp paper towel and fix on new, two-piece lids to finger-tip tightness.
- *If you have leftover syrup, and it is likely that you will, you may can it in half-pint or pint jars, too. It’s wonderful brushed on meat on the grill or added to potato salad or, or, or… In short, don’t toss it out!
- Place jars in a canner, cover with water by 2-inches. Bring the water to a full rolling boil. When it reaches a full rolling boil, set the timer for 10 minutes for half-pints or 15 minutes for pints. When timer goes off, use canning tongs to transfer the jars to a cooling rack. Leave them to cool, undisturbed, for 24 hours. When fully cooled, wipe them with a clean, damp washcloth then label.
- Allow to mellow for at least two weeks, but preferably a month before eating. Or don’t. I won’t tell!
I haven’t made these yet (w/ 2 year old twins and a 3 month old my learning to can is on hold) but I found some at our farmers market (I’m sure yours are way better) but I had to share this: toasted sourdough+cream cheese+candied jalapenos+an over easy egg= heaven! Can’t wait to get canning and try yours!
I came across this awhile ago and just remembered I wanted to do them for Christmas gifts.
How long would these last in the fridge without canning them? Just making it and putting them into the jars?
Thanks!
I think you’d be fine making them a couple or three weeks in advance of Christmas! As long as the peppers stay submerged in the liquid, they’ll just keep getting better.
OK this may sound crazy but, how would you make these without a “canner”? Is it possible to just use the canning jars and boil in a pot or something? My husband grew jalepenos in our garden this year and we have an overabundance!
Can I make these without a canner? I have never canned anything before, could I boil the jars in a pot?
These sound soooooo good, I just might have to dust off my caner and give it a whirl. You should work on a “wickel” copycat. Those are the GREATEST pickels in the world…sweet and a little hot all at the same time!! Thanks again for the recipe
when you are talking abour cider vinegar do you mean Apple Cider Vinegar?
Love the candied jalapenos! I grind them up and mix with cream cheese; let it set overnight and serve as a spread for crackers.
I made these last night and forgot to do the second boil of the syrup for 6 minutes after jarring the jalapenos. I jarred them anyway and am hoping for the best. I also have a pint of syrup left over. Two things… do you think my lack of the 6 minute boil will affect things? It did boil the first time before I put the pepper in for the 4 minutes. Second is, can I use the syrup left over towards a new batch after these?
Hi Mark! I’m going to say don’t re-use the syrup because it could alter the acidity in the final product, but don’t fret! That extra syrup is really good brushed on meats for grilling/broiling or adding into potato/egg/whatever salads! I think that forgoing the second boil is not going to be a deal breaker. I think it’ll just result in a less viscous syrup.
We discovered these at a booth in Canton, Tx. Now I know how to make my own – thank you thank you thank you!! As good as they are in EVERYTHING (i.e. chicken salad, tuna salad, etc…) the old stand bye of a few candied jalepenos with cream cheese on a cracker will make your eyes roll back in your head!
The last time we had candied jalapenos was in Scottsdale, Arizona. Thank you for the great recipe!
I have 2 members of my family that are diabetic and absolutely love candied jalapenos. If I use all sugar substitute, will it still make the product the same OR do I need to do 1/2 sugar & 1/2 splenda? Thank you. LOVE your recipes!
Your recipe looks amazing! I was given a jar of candied jalepenos, Texas Jak brand, for Christmas, and now that I’ve run out I’ve been searching for more. Then I thought why not learn to make some myself? Your recipe looks like the best one I’ve found, I will definitely be making it (& posting on Pinterest )! I’ve never canned before though, but from what you commented above, it would be good still to store them in jars in the fridge, they just wouldn’t keep as long? And if I were to give them as gifts without canning how long would they last?
Oh I see that lots of people put them on burgers and crackers with cream cheese, which sounds amazing, I’ll have to try that- but I cooked pork chops with them & it made the best sweet & spicy pork!! Thanks for the great recipe, now I can look forward to experimenting with them more
I added these to “Sunday Morning Sushi” along with smoked salmon, chives and cream cheese. They were a huge hit.
We sell our “secret family recipe” of Candied Jalapeños at local craft shows, farmers markets and our web site, http://www.CampbellGardensPeppers. We started out making them for ourselves and friends and then the word spread of our tasty peppers. Ours are different than your above recipe and we think you’d discover the difference yourselves if you ever tried our sweet with a little kick peppers. Check out our web site for more information and recipes!
What can I say, I’ve shared it on pinterest, liked it on facebook, and will be giving these for the holidays. Thanks you so much for the amazing recipe. This is a great starter for someone who is learning to can. These were the first thing I’ve ever canned and I love them to death now! They are great with peaches tossed in too!
I’m excited that I found your recipe online. I had been looking for a way I could use all the hot peppers growing in my garden. With all the heat we’re getting in MO this year I’m growing a lot of different varieties of peppers and I even have 7 Tomatillo plants growing….crazy weather were having here. I was wondering if I could safely add fresh fruit in the mix before canning? If so how long would I have to process the jars for? I’m looking to duplicate a pineapple pepper jam that I tried in Branson, Mo. They served it with cream cheese and butter crackers and pretzel crackers.
Oh yeah, I forgot to ask, if I would need some sure-jell or certo when adding fresh fruit or canned?
no you dont need either.. the sugar and vinegar takes care of everything. it does not “jell” it is however a thick almost viscous syrup (very sticky
)
Made these tonight. I can tell they are delicious. The only thing I think I would do different next time is cold pack them. They seemed to wilt a bit during the 4 min boiling time. But we can already tell the flavor will be heavenly.
I found this recently while searching for some good canning ideas. May I just say…these are AWESOME!! We cannot stop eating them and all my friends and family are begging for extra jars. I will be putting up several dozen of these this year, since my jalapenos are going crazy. Thank you so much for this wonderful, easy receipe!!
Ok. I posted above with a concern about the jalapeños wilting. It’s been only a day since I’ve canned these and they are already taking back their original shape
So glad. I can NOT wait to eat these. Unfortunately I had my tonsils taken out just last night. I guess this procedure will force me to wait until these peppers are prime- otherwise we’d be into a jar already :p
@Sara..sorry about your tonsils, hope you feel better soon. We had issues like yours only we cut our peppers too thin. They look like little knobs instead of rings
w..:) but they are soooo good. Now I know to cut them more on the half inch side. Glad you mentioned that. It reminded me to post about my issue. Waiting a few days just makes them better. The longer they sit, the better they taste. Also we discovered using 5 lbs of peppers is closer to correct for 9 pints. We only got 5 pints and one jar of syrup out of 3 lbs. Can’t wait to make more!
Love your recipes, I tried the candied jalapenos. I wonder if you can tell me what I am doing wrong.The peppers have floated to the top and there is about a half inch of syrup at the bottom. I packed them in as tight as I could. Please help, I always have this problem when I can pickles.
sepha sounds like your not packing produce tight enough in your jars
Does anyone know if I need to make any adjustments for altitude (in the Mile Hi city of Denver at 6000 ft)?
OMG! Are you from Texas???? Your jalapeno pepper jargon is soo cool (with it) and you’ve got it girl! Candied Jalapenos are delish and since moving from “Big D” (really miss Texas) six yrs ago I have been ordering and eating candied Jalapenos every week. I am addicted and now I will amke my own. Do I really have to boil the syrup or can I not just mix and place in the jars as the hot peppers should melt the sugar??? ???Wish you were my neighbor as you really sound like fun to be around! Thank you and hugs to you from a 72 yr old housewife named Lou
can i make these in a pressure canner? I am new to canning and don’t have a waterbath canner.
if you have a pressure canner you have a waterbath canner just dont fasten down the lid..
all a water bath canner is, is a pot deep enough to cover the jars by about 2 inches (jars need to be sitting on a rack or something to prevent it being directly being on the bottom of the pot) – the lid is to facilitate boiling..
easy peasy
Hi Folks. These candied jalapenos have me enchanted! I really want to taste some! My hubby will be over the moon. You see…I have to overcome the FEAR of canning something. (I am afraid of canning tomatoes, say, and then giving everyone botulism.) I am afraid of storing wet foods without freezer/fridge. It’s true! I know I have been playing it safe, procrastinating, for no good reason. So, allow me to air the second fear. It is: Where should I procure a canner (pressure cooker?) Is an old one from the thrift shop okay? Should I invest in a modern one? Do I have to use Mason jars? I presume I don’t for a 2 week jalapeno stint. As for canning veges…well, this will be my baby step. THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP! Any advice on learning to can properly is much sought after/appreciated! TAKE CARE EVERYONE, Kris
am a brand new canner myself so i do unterstand your fears – i hope you have overcome them
!
re: botulism – one of the ladies i admire most said something to the effect of “if you dont let botulism IN you wont get it OUT” — meaning be SCRUPULOUSLY CLEAN in your prepping –
FOLLOW directions precisely and DONT skip steps!! these steps are there for a reason! there are a lot of people are on sites like you tube to watch and learn from – now personally i recommend starting with the BALL BLUE BOOK – the basic bible of canning and very stringent on safety issues.
You Will find that different people have different methods & dont always agree with each other – watch a lot of them & use common sense.
I DO recommend one lady in particular (other than THIS site )– her site is Noreen’s Kitchen. every recipe i have tried of hers has come out perfectly.
re- the jars YES you need to use the ones MADE for canning Especially for pressure canning – exploding jars is NOT the goal
!!!
over all canning is EASY – its TIME consuming and has finicky bits , BUT WORTH it! i LOVE it. and wonder why on earth i waited so long..
— i ALREADY NEED a bigger one…. sigh… the canner itself is great just not big enough.. when you figure the amount of time you have to be close by to monitor it makes MUCH more sense to do a double batch of jars rather than just one row of jars…
BTW – i started with a small pressure canner from walmart. – BIG mistake
good luck and have fun
These are wonderful, but I decided not to wait to make them until my little ones were down for a nap, and I let the syrup boil for too long. The end result (thankfully, I was making a smaller batch with only 1/2 lb jalapenos) is a little hard in spots, like it turned to candy. Is there any way to uncook the syrup? Ha!
you might want to loan out the kids to grandma & grandpa the day you make these. the smell of the jalepeno is quite strong while cooking..
my daughter finds it over much – so i make them when the kids are gone and i have EVERY window & door open with fans on..
its worth it but you do NOT want the babies anywhere near this stuff while prepping.
I just came across this recipe and my mom and I are canning this tomorrow! Looks amazing!
Okay, I took the plunge and made these today. Keep your fingers crossed that my husband will like them!
Thanks for the cool recipe!
I made these this summer with our first picking of Jalapenos. They are a delight. We had Creamy Chicken Enchiladas, and served the Candied Jalapenos on the side. Amazing!! Thank you.
Do these have to be refrigerated after you make them or can they be left out and stored in a pantry..
if you can them they can be stored up to a year on the shelf – not canning 2-3 weeks in fridge (if they last that long)
I was browsing around on Pinterest and came across this recipe which greatly intrigued me. I definitely want to try this as we are crazy for heat in my house (the main reason we moved to Florida!!) and I think we would LOVE these. I have never canned anything before so I was doing some research which left me wondering….do I need to purchase a canner or can I just use a stockpot and, if not, what would be the difference?
This are great. Just made my second batch tonight. I didn’t remove the seeds and membranes this time so I’ll be interested to see how hot these are. I have a question about how long to simmer the peppers. The recipe reads to simmer exactly four minutes, but it took me at least 4 minutes to bring the syrup up to a simmer. So should I bring the liquid up to a simmer and then start timing it?
Also, your bacon jam is a huge it in our home now too!
Have you ever used pickled sliced jalapenos instead of fresh? Just trying to save some prep time.
yes you can, that is what i do…… i use about 2 cups of the jallepenos and then 3/4 cup of the liquid in the jar and 2 cups of sugar and boil that all together until it makes a syrup that somewhat coats the spoon. This is a small batch, just right for a small family. then i pack it in my ball freezer jar and store in the fridge.
can you just put them in jars, because i don’t have anything to use for canning?
Olivia- You can absolutely jar them instead of canning them, but they’ll need to be stored in the refrigerator!
I am just learning how to can and your recipe is my first. Can’t wait.. sounds yummy! Sooooo…. I followed the directions to the tee. But I am hoping, you can help me with a couple of questions.
Thank so much! Jan
1. Do you de-seed or is this optional?
2. Do you can the syrup with the jars of peppers? (that is what I did)
3 shelf life on peppers and syrup
Wow! I’m so glad to be part of your canning start! Lets address your specific questions.
1. Optional! I never seed, but we like spicy stuff in a big way.
2. Yes. If you mean what I think you do. Do you mean processing the extra syrup along with jars of the peppers in syrup? That’s a yes!
3. At least a year if they’re stored with the rings off at a steady cool temperature without tons of light exposure and if the seal remains good. I will say we have NEVER had a jar around longer 6 months for anything other than testing purposes. We eat them FAR too quickly to worry about shelf life
I can’t wait to make these. Two questions, however, I read most of your posts and may have missed this answer. Did you remove most of the seeds and ribs of Jalapenas? I saw some seeds in your jars, but wanted to make sure. I froze several bags of whole jalapenas from my garden last year. Do you think frozen jalapenas would work as well, cutting them after defrosting?
Hi Deana! I did not remove any seeds or ribs, but that’s optional if you want to tame them a bit. As for using frozen jalapenos, I’m afraid I don’t think it’ll work very well. When you freeze peppers, you destroy the cell walls in them. That’s fine for cooking into soups, stews, chilis, breads, etc…, but probably will turn out mushy if you try to process them in this way.
Can you use jalapenos that come already sliced to save on some prep time.
That would depend on whether they’re fresh jalapenos or already processed in some way, I suppose. I’ve never seen pre-cut ones!
I have made candied jalapenos half a dozen different ways. Mostly its different because I may have had a few glasses of wine as I coke them….so I end up putting in a bit of this or that as I cook.
I can say absolutely pre sliced and frozen, canned or anything does not work. You get mush…and the flavor is never right. You must use fresh jalapenos…its a lot of work, but well worth the result.
This AM on my way into work I had a brain flash – using agave nectar and tequila in the recipe…not sure how to do it yet. Any ideas from those who cook more often is welcome.
These are a big hit in our neighborhood, thank you!! I ended up with extra syrup so I reserved some to add to cocktails and reserved even more syrup to create a jelly (came out honey-like viscosity) which is great with a cheese platter.
Thanks again! Will be making more in the next week.
I live in Australia and Jalapenos are hard to come by so I grew some. As with many homegrown things I ended up with far more jalapenos than I could ever use until I found this recipe and WOW I wish I had ten times more. It is absolutely delish! The leftover sauce is amazing too, fabulous in salad dressing among other things.
I have made these numerous times in the last few months, mostly for Christmas gifts, but I took a jar to church tonight and poured it over a couple of blocks cream cheese and served it with wheat thins. I had at least 4 people ask me fo the recipe. Thank you for sharing this.
I’m so happy to find this recipe!! Rebecca, with the cayenne and the seeds, would you call them extra hot? Making them as gifts and a bit worried about scaring my friends. We Californians might not be as tough as the average Texan…
I’m probably not a great person to ask, Roxanne, because we pile chile garlic sauce and sriracha and gochujang and whatnot over most of what we eat. I’d say it’s definitely hot. Beyond that, we need a recognizable benchmark for comparison. Do you like Tabasco? Frank’s Red Hot? It’s probably hotter than those.
Benchmark – good idea. Yes I like Frank’s Red Hot, Tobasco and Sriacha but I’m the spice-lover of the family! If I’m aiming to please typical jalapeno-eating people but not ones who venture into serranos and habaneros, would you say 1/2 tsp cayenne then? I thought I read that between the cooking and the sugar, the heat isn’t as intense as raw jalapenos. Which would mean I need some cayenne to put some heat back.
And can I just tell you how unbelievably impressive your blog is! Not only are you thorough, creative, chatty and an amazing photographer – but the diversity in your menus is awesome!! I am Asian by birth but a wanna-be Italian/Mexican and cook just about everything. Your blog is simply perfect!!
If you let it age, it is definitely milder than raw jalapeno. If you try eating it straight from the pot it’ll melt yer face off.
Okay, benchmark-wise, my husband says he’s not even sure it’s hotter than sriracha, but qualifies it. He says it’s about as hot as typical canned jalapenos (the pickled ones), but it’s sweeter so it’s easier to devour them. Those are his words. The sweetness masks the heat a bit. Maybe you should make a batch of them both ways to try them. I promise, they won’t be wasted…
Thank you Rebecca – I am cooking these within the next two days and just drooling at the thought. There is a restaurant in Phoenix (the Grind) which puts these on burgers, between brioche and with arugula and “fried ratatouille” (fried shoestring onions, peppers, eggplant). It is to die for and I don’t even eat burgers. I am eternally grateful to you for this recipe and will be making your naanwich in exactly one month when the batch is done!