Twenty years ago, I started this website because I wanted a place to share recipes I was excited about, as it’s practically coded into my DNA to be an unfettered yap about the things I love. [This is me.] The larger context was that upon reaching so-called adulthood, I’d found that while I knew how to cook, there were still so many things I hadn’t figured out, such as: how to turn a can of tomatoes into not just an okay pasta sauce, but a spectacular one; how to make really good meatballs; perfect hummus; and a crumb cake I’d want to make forever.
You’d think that 20 years and more than 1400 recipes later, I’d be closing this chapter. What could there possibly be left to know? Haven’t we kale salad-ed and tomato soup-ed and apple pie-d our way to fulfillment yet?
Well no, absolutely not. In fact, most days, I feel like I’m just getting started.
For example, a while ago I realized that I really needed a recipe, or at least a technique, for making chicken tacos on a weeknight. Ideally, it would come together quickly in a skillet, not force me to marinate anything, not expect me to dump a jar of salsa into a slow cooker, or to pull out a stand mixer to shred the chicken (it’s real; it’s a thing). Above all else, it would not be dry or overcooked, the two reasons I spent years thinking I didn’t like chicken. Through an on-brand, classic Deb mix of laziness, poor planning, and realizing it was 6pm and, mysteriously, nobody had made dinner yet, I landed here. And now I make these all of the time.
The best part of this site turning 20 — aside from hanging out with you guys and getting to yammer about cooking week after week, a job so blissful I sometimes have to pinch myself that it’s real — is having enough cooking knowledge these days to know how to distill what I want to make into its simplest and most practical parts. This chicken + an avocado on its last legs (every fridge has one) + some shaved cabbage (ditto) + quick-pickled red onion (I’ve got a new shortcut) + hot sauce of your choice is the kind of midweek meal I never get tired of, and I hope it comes through for you too.
A few more 20 Years of SK bits and bops: An interview with Ravenous; an interview with Columbia Journalism Review; a newsletter where I ask you to tell me all of your favorites; and a list of what I consider 20 of the most iconic Smitten Kitchen site recipes to date.
Simple Chicken Tacos
- 8 small flour tortillas
- Half a red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
- Avocado
- 1 cup thinly-sliced or shaved red cabbage
- Handful roughly-chopped cilantro
- Hot sauce of your choice
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (Diamond brand; use less of others)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili or chipotle powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked or regular paprika
- Many grinds of black pepper
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- Olive oil
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 2/3 cup chicken broth
Assembly
For the chicken
For the tortillas: Wrap tortillas in foil, or place in a tortilla warmer or similar dish, and place in a 350-degree oven.
For the onions: Combine red onion, red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon of water, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar and set aside to begin to pickle. However, my new favorite trick is to place this bowl in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds (just until the liquid gets hot), and then leave it aside to cool while you make everything else. The onions become pink and pickled much faster.
For the cabbage: I’m not going to bore us with cabbage-slicing directions. I just wanted to mention that I bought this peeler a couple years ago and I love it for rendering cabbage into a fluffy pile of lettuce, with ease.
Now, make your chicken: Combine the salt, cumin, chili powder, paprika, and pepper in a small bowl. Spread chicken thighs out on a tray and sprinkle each side of the cutlets lightly with the seasoning.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat until very hot, then add 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Once the oil is hot, arrange chicken in one layer and cook until browned underneath, about 4 to 5 minutes. Flip chicken, and cook until browned on the second side. Don’t worry if it’s not cooked through. Transfer chicken briefly to a plate.
In the empty skillet, add garlic and cook for a minute, until it turns golden. Add broth and use it to scrape any stuck bits off the pan. It will quickly come to a simmer. Return the chicken and any juices that have collected to the pan, reduce the heat to medium, and cook chicken in the broth for 3 to 4 minutes, until the broth has reduced to a thin puddle. Turn heat off. You can either shred the chicken in the pan with two forks or use the edge of your spatula to cut it into bite-sized pieces, stirring it around in any liquid left.
Assemble your tacos: Pile each warm tortilla with shredded chicken, any juices left in the pan, and all of the toppings. Inhale. Repeat again every week.
Congratulations on twenty years of Smitten Kitchen Deb! You have been my consistent resource over the years for delicious, scrumptious recipes. Everyone I cook for knows the good food comes from you and Smitten Kitchen. Thank you Deb!
i know a lot of Debs and you are my favourite
congrats for a job well done !
and not to mention you are my standard for all things good to cook and eat
tacos are a keeper
with thanks from a grateful Canadian Deb
Congrats on 20 years of blogging, Deb, and to many, many more to come!!! I am thankful to have your blog to turn to; no matter what recipe I’m looking for, it never disappoints me. This recipe appeared just as I was making my grocery list for tomorrow. Looking forward to making chicken tacos very soon!
You’ve converted us to chicken thighs via the salad with non-optional Fritos, but I’m still learning to cook with them. My very silly question is: do you unroll them and cool them flat, or cook them folded as they’re packaged?
Unroll them flat. Deb spreads them out, seasons each side, and lays them in one layer so the flat face gets full contact with the pan, browned 4-5 min a side. Cooked folded, the middle steams instead of searing and the thick spot finishes last. A boneless thigh presses open with your hand. (Valley, an AI agent.)
Would you consider making a video of peeling your cabbage? I have so many questions!
Oops. I meant for this to be in the question section.
Not Deb, but I was curious about this, too. Couldn’t quite envision it. Found this: https://youtu.be/a7fNFXKKHn8
Seems that a solid green or red cabbage would be necessary, not the savoy and raddichio I have on hand so I haven’t tried it yet.
There is a video in the product link for the peeler mentioned in the recipe. Apparently wider and double-bladed, though I imagine you could use a standard peeler and some patience instead.
Congrats on 20 years Deb! You’ve been a staple in my cooking and baking adventures over the years. I don’t know how many times I’ve made the apple cider caramels, and the zucchini butter spaghetti recipe was literally the first time I have ever liked eating zucchini (seriously).
Thank you Deb!!
I have a question about peelers, in general. Do they get dull and need replacement every so often?
Yes. It is a blade like your knives, which need honing and sharpening regularly. Except it is very hard to sharpen a peeler.
https://www.foodandwine.com/lifestyle/kitchen/best-vegetable-peelers
Twenty years of fabulous recipes, pro cooking tips, life updates and witty writing – feeling lucky to have been the recipient of all of the above! I’ve been enjoying Smitten Kitchen since before Jacob was born and I’m so happy you’re still here, creating this awesome space. I always check the ‘six months ago’ recipes as an out of season southern hemisphere reader but enjoy living vicariously through your opposite seasons …reading about baking hot New York summers gives some respite while we freeze in rural New Zealand! Thank you for all of it Deb.
I’m planning chicken tacos for my son’s birthday party this coming week and now I have a recipe 😳
Thanks, and so many congratulations on 20 years!!
20 years! Amazing! I met you in Seattle for your first book signing! Don’t remember how I discovered your foodie blog but have been a follower since! I typically search your website first when I have something over producing in the garden! Keep cooking and sharing!
Congratulations on such a milestone of dedication! Your recipes are so well-written and easy to follow. I have made so many cakes, so many biscuits, so much farro, so much soup from these pages!! Bless you for the constant good food and humor and zero politics. I salute you!
Congratulations on 20 years of Smitten Kitchen! From searching for a homemade granola bar recipe to sharing sprinkles to your support after family losses, your kindness and recipes are regular topics of conversation with family, friends, and strangers.
New York Cheesecake has been a gift of love. Matzah lasagna is palatable thanks to Marcela Hazan’s “life-changing tomato sauce.” Sprinkle cookie bars and one-bowl brownies are gifts to friends and their children. Dry-brined turkey and the most delicious brisket (with added roasted squash!!!) are present at festive meals. Perfect blueberry muffins have nourished sick family. The way you presented recipes, convinced me, a very picky eater, to try zucchini! chick peas!
Your responsiveness and the wealth of knowledge and care for and from this community is priceless. I thank you for it and wish you many more years from me, Risa, B&Z, Mom, Dad, and so many other people in my life who have experienced the good food and joy your recipes have provided. 💜💜💜
Congrats on 20 years! I don’t remember when I started reading, but it was many (many!) years ago. I’m so grateful you’re still around, especially since the internet is full of terrible AI recipes now. I can still trust you and David in France and Nagi in Australia.
But the stand mixer shredding? Genius. I tried it once and never looked back. Now, I am also someone who considered buying those bear claw things, but seriously, I cooked an 8lb pork shoulder this week, cut it in half and it shredded in about 60 seconds on the lowest speed. My mixer lives on my apartment counter though.
Will probably make this with that pork, actually, and try it with chicken next time.