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Smitten Kitchen published a simple skillet chicken taco recipe built around boneless thighs, a short spice mix and a brief simmer in chicken broth. The September 2026 post also offers quick-pickled red onions and toppings such as cabbage, avocado, cilantro and hot sauce.
Smitten Kitchen published a weeknight chicken taco recipe in September 2026, using seasoned chicken thighs browned in a skillet and finished briefly in chicken broth. The method is designed to make dinner without a marinade or slow cooker, with quick-pickled red onion and fresh toppings served in warm tortillas.
The recipe calls for one pound of boneless, skinless chicken thighs, seasoned with kosher salt, cumin, chili powder, paprika and black pepper. The thighs are browned in olive oil for about four to five minutes on the first side, then flipped and browned on the other side. They do not need to be fully cooked at this stage, according to the recipe.
After the chicken is briefly removed from the skillet, minced garlic is cooked in the pan. Chicken broth is added to loosen the browned bits, then the chicken and any plate juices return to the pan. The recipe says to simmer the thighs over medium heat for three to four minutes, until the broth has reduced to a thin puddle, then shred or cut the meat into bite-sized pieces and stir it through the remaining liquid.
The assembly uses eight small flour tortillas, half a thinly sliced red onion, red wine vinegar, salt and sugar, plus avocado, shaved red cabbage, chopped cilantro and hot sauce. The onion mixture can be warmed in a microwave for 10 to 15 seconds to speed up pickling, then left to cool while the chicken cooks. The recipe also suggests warming the tortillas in foil in a 350-degree oven.
A Faster Route to Chicken Tacos
The recipe addresses a familiar weeknight problem: making chicken that stays moist without lengthy advance preparation. Its core technique is to brown the thighs, then finish them in broth, using the same skillet for the garlic and cooking liquid. That keeps the steps and cleanup relatively contained while adding time for the meat to finish cooking.
The toppings are flexible and partly based on common refrigerator ingredients. Smitten Kitchen’s author, Deb Perelman, describes pairing the chicken with avocado, cabbage, quick-pickled onion and hot sauce. Readers can use those suggestions as written or choose other toppings, but the published recipe does not provide alternate quantities or variations for the chicken itself.
The post also links the recipe to the website’s 20th anniversary. Perelman says the site has published more than 1,400 recipes and presents the tacos as an example of the practical cooking methods she has developed over time. That is the author’s framing; the new recipe’s immediate value for readers is a specific, relatively quick method for cooking taco filling on the stovetop.
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From a 20-Year Recipe Archive
Perelman says she began Smitten Kitchen 20 years ago to share recipes and work through dishes she wanted to improve. In the post accompanying the tacos, she reflects that even after publishing more than 1,400 recipes, she still finds gaps in her own weeknight cooking. She says she wanted a chicken taco method that did not require marinating, a slow cooker or a stand mixer for shredding.
The new recipe draws on straightforward skillet steps rather than a separate sauce or long cooking process. Its short pickling method is also part of the practical approach: the onion is dressed with vinegar, water, salt and sugar, and briefly microwaved to get the liquid hot before cooling. The source provides no nutrition information, cost estimate or tested preparation-time total.
“I really needed a recipe, or at least a technique, for making chicken tacos on a weeknight.”
— Deb Perelman, Smitten Kitchen author
Recipe Details Not Provided
The post does not state an exact total preparation or cooking time, and it gives no nutrition data, serving-size guidance beyond the listed eight tortillas, or food-cost estimate. It also does not report independent testing or reader results. The cooking instructions say to simmer the chicken for three to four minutes after returning it to the broth, but do not give a target internal temperature. For food safety, poultry should be cooked to 165°F (74°C) at its thickest point, checked with a food thermometer; the source does not specify a storage or leftover-reheating method.
The listed ingredients include wheat in the flour tortillas; the source does not provide an allergen statement or substitutions. It is also unclear whether the recipe will be updated with additional variations or measurements. The post’s suggestion to use hot sauce “of your choice” leaves the brand and heat level to the cook.
How to Make the Skillet Tacos
Readers can follow the published method by preparing the onion and toppings first, warming the tortillas, then seasoning and browning the chicken. The next steps are to cook garlic in the skillet, add broth to release the browned bits, return the chicken and simmer until cooked through. Check the thickest piece with a thermometer for 165°F (74°C) before shredding or cutting the meat.
To serve, divide the chicken and any pan juices among the tortillas, then add avocado, cabbage, pickled onion, cilantro and hot sauce. The source does not announce a follow-up or a scheduled update; any further recipe guidance would depend on later changes from Smitten Kitchen.
Key Questions
How long do the chicken tacos take to make?
The source does not give a total time. It specifies about four to five minutes to brown the first side and another three to four minutes simmering in broth, with additional time needed to brown the second side, prep toppings and warm tortillas.
Can the chicken be made without marinating it?
Yes. The published method seasons the chicken just before cooking and does not call for a marinade. The thighs are browned in a skillet and finished in broth.
How do you make the quick-pickled onions?
Combine thinly sliced red onion with red wine vinegar, one tablespoon of water, kosher salt and sugar. The recipe suggests microwaving the bowl for 10 to 15 seconds, just until the liquid is hot, then leaving the onions to cool.
What temperature should the chicken reach?
The recipe does not list a target temperature. Standard food-safety guidance is to cook poultry to 165°F (74°C) at its thickest point, checked with a food thermometer.
What toppings does the recipe suggest?
The listed toppings are avocado, shaved red cabbage, quick-pickled red onion, chopped cilantro and hot sauce. The recipe serves the filling in small flour tortillas.
Source: rss
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