For twenty years, home cooks around the world have turned to a corner of the internet known as Smitten Kitchen for inspiration, practical guidance, and an honest look at the realities of everyday cooking. Founded by Deb Perelman out of a desire to share recipes she was genuinely excited about, the website has grown from a personal culinary diary into one of the enduring staples of the digital food landscape.
Reflecting on the milestone, Perelman notes that the journey began during her transition into formal adulthood. Like many novice cooks, she understood the basics of kitchen work, but still lacked mastery over fundamental dishes. She wanted to know how to transform an ordinary can of tomatoes into a spectacular pasta sauce, how to craft exceptionally good meatballs, how to achieve an ethereally smooth hummus, and how to bake a New York crumb cake worth making for a lifetime.
Two decades and more than 1,400 published recipes later, it would be easy to assume that the culinary well might have run dry. After all, the internet-using public has thoroughly explored countless variations of kale salads, weeknight tomato soups, and artisanal apple pies. Yet, according to Perelman, the culinary exploration is far from over. If anything, most days still feel like the very beginning.
To mark its twentieth anniversary, Smitten Kitchen has rolled out a retrospective collection celebrating twenty of the most iconic recipes in the site’s history. Alongside this curated archive, Perelman has reflected on the milestone through various interviews with outlets such as Ravenous and the Columbia Journalism Review, as well as dedicated reader surveys via her newsletter, inviting her community to share their personal favorites from the past two decades.
Rather than looking backward with nostalgia alone, however, the anniversary has also yielded fresh contributions to the site’s vast repertoire. Among the newer additions is a recipe born from a very familiar kitchen dilemma: the need for a reliable, fast, and satisfying chicken taco on a busy weeknight.
Perelman’s approach to the weeknight chicken taco strips away the unnecessary complications often associated with modern recipes. Eschewing marinades that require advanced planning, slow-cooker salsa dumps, or unconventional methods like using a stand mixer to shred poultry, the technique relies on a simple skillet method designed to prevent the dry, overcooked texture that often alienates home cooks from chicken altogether. The method emerged from a classic combination of spontaneity and the universal realization at six o’clock in the evening that dinner had not yet materialized.
The resulting dish reflects the hard-won wisdom of twenty years spent testing and refining home cooking. By distilling what she actually wants to eat into its simplest and most practical parts, Perelman pairs the skillet-cooked chicken with basic, accessible refrigerator staples: an avocado on the verge of turning, thinly shaved cabbage, a shortcut version of quick-pickled red onions, and a preferred hot sauce.
The accompanying recipe for the simple chicken tacos emphasizes efficiency and flavor. Tortillas are warmed in the oven in foil or a warmer, while red onions are swiftly pickled using red wine vinegar, water, salt, and sugar—with a microwave shortcut to accelerate the process and turn the onions pink in a fraction of the time. Cabbage is easily shredded using a specialized peeler to create a light, fluffy bed for the fillings.
The chicken itself is seasoned with a balanced blend of salt, cumin, chili powder, paprika, and pepper, then seared in olive oil in a hot skillet until browned on both sides. After a brief removal from the pan, garlic and broth are added to deglaze the skillet, scraping up the flavorful browned bits left behind. The chicken is then returned to the simmering broth to finish cooking and absorb the savory liquids until they reduce into a rich glaze, after which the meat is easily shredded or cut directly in the pan.
As Smitten Kitchen enters its third decade, Perelman continues to embrace the routine of creating and sharing practical meals designed for real-world kitchens. Whether revisiting foundational techniques or introducing new weeknight staples, the focus remains firmly on making home cooking approachable, achievable, and endlessly rewarding.