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!