Simple Chicken Tacos

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Smitten Kitchen published a simple chicken taco recipe built around seasoned boneless thighs cooked in a skillet with garlic and broth. The September 2026 post presents it as a quick weeknight meal and includes quick-pickled onions and fresh toppings; the recipe does not state a total preparation time.

Smitten Kitchen has published a simple chicken taco recipe that cooks seasoned boneless thighs in a skillet with garlic and chicken broth, offering a weeknight alternative to marinated or slow-cooked chicken. The September 2026 post pairs the meat with quick-pickled red onion, cabbage, avocado and warm tortillas.

The recipe calls for one pound of boneless, skinless chicken thighs, seasoned with kosher salt, cumin, chili or chipotle powder, paprika and black pepper. The chicken is browned in olive oil in a hot skillet, then briefly set aside while minced garlic cooks in the pan. Chicken broth is added to loosen the browned bits, and the chicken returns to the skillet to finish cooking as the liquid reduces.

Once cooked, the chicken can be shredded with two forks or cut into bite-size pieces in the pan. The recipe directs cooks to stir it through any remaining juices before serving, then divide it among eight warm flour tortillas. Toppings include sliced red cabbage, avocado, chopped cilantro, hot sauce and red onion pickled in red wine vinegar, water, salt and sugar.

For the onion shortcut, the post suggests microwaving the vinegar mixture for 10 to 15 seconds, just until the liquid is hot, then leaving it to cool while the chicken cooks. The author says this speeds up the pickling. Tortillas can be wrapped in foil or placed in a covered warmer in a 350-degree oven while the other ingredients are prepared.

A Skillet Method for Weeknight Tacos

The recipe is designed around a practical dinner problem: making chicken tacos without planning a marinade, using a slow cooker or bringing out a mixer to shred the meat. Its one-pan cooking method and short onion-pickling shortcut may help home cooks get dinner together with familiar ingredients, although the post does not give a total preparation or cooking time.

The author also focuses on avoiding dry chicken. Browning the thighs and then finishing them in broth gives the meat additional cooking liquid, which is stirred back through before serving. That makes the method and its order of steps the central useful details for readers deciding whether to try the recipe.

As with any poultry recipe, cooks should verify doneness with a food thermometer: the thickest part of each thigh should reach 165°F (74°C). Refrigerate cooked chicken and other perishable toppings within two hours, or within one hour if the room temperature is above 90°F (32°C). Flour tortillas may contain wheat; check packaged ingredients and account for any individual allergies or dietary needs.

Recipe Marks Site’s 20th Year

The recipe appears in a post reflecting on Smitten Kitchen’s 20 years online. The author describes starting the website to share recipes and says the archive now contains more than 1,400 recipes. The chicken tacos are presented as a dish developed to meet a specific need: a practical skillet dinner that avoids the approaches the author did not want to use.

The post places the tacos among other anniversary material, including interviews, a newsletter inviting readers to share favorite recipes, and a list of 20 recipes the author considers iconic to the site. That anniversary framing is the broader occasion for the recipe, but the new cooking method and ingredient list are the post’s main service to readers.

“I really needed a recipe, or at least a technique, for making chicken tacos on a weeknight.”

— Smitten Kitchen author Deb Perelman

Timing and Serving Details Not Specified

The source post gives ingredient amounts and step-by-step instructions but does not state a total preparation time, total cooking time or nutrition information. It also does not specify how many tacos each person should eat; eight tortillas are listed, but the number of servings is not provided in the supplied material.

The recipe says to cook the chicken until done but does not give a thermometer reading. The standard safe internal temperature for poultry is 165°F (74°C), measured in the thickest part. The post also leaves the quantity of avocado, cabbage, cilantro and hot sauce flexible, and does not name a specific hot sauce or alternative for readers avoiding flour tortillas.

Readers Can Test the Recipe

The post does not announce a follow-up date or additional step in the recipe’s release. Readers can make the tacos using the published ingredients and method, adjusting the toppings and hot sauce to taste while checking that the chicken reaches a safe internal temperature. Whether the site will publish further anniversary material is not specified in the supplied report.

Key Questions

What chicken does the recipe use?

It calls for one pound of boneless, skinless chicken thighs, seasoned with salt, cumin, chili or chipotle powder, paprika and black pepper.

How is the chicken cooked?

Brown the seasoned thighs in olive oil in a hot skillet, then briefly set them aside. Cook minced garlic in the skillet, add chicken broth to loosen browned bits, return the chicken and its juices, and cook until done as the broth reduces. The recipe says to shred or cut the meat and stir it through the remaining juices.

How does the recipe speed up the pickled onions?

Combine sliced red onion with red wine vinegar, water, salt and sugar. The author’s shortcut is to microwave the liquid for 10 to 15 seconds, until hot, then let the mixture cool while preparing the chicken.

How do I know the chicken is safe to serve?

Use a food thermometer to check the thickest part of the thighs. Poultry should reach 165°F (74°C). Refrigerate leftovers within two hours, or within one hour in temperatures above 90°F (32°C).

Source: rss