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January 15, 2026 
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Good morning! Today we have for you:
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| Sarah DiGregorio’s slow cooker Tajín chicken and peppers. Bryan Gardner for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. |
Always be cooking
You know how a mullet haircut is “business in the front, party in the back”? This slow cooker Tajín chicken and peppers is kind of like a dinner mullet. (That whoosh of air you feel is thousands of fingers moving to exit out of this email, but trust me, dear readers, I’ll land this.)
OK, so: business in the front. This Sarah DiGregorio recipe is efficient and respects your time. It does not ask you to do any extra tasks or side projects. Once your garlic is chopped and your peppers are sliced, you put those and all of the remaining ingredients (boneless, skinless chicken thighs; pinto beans; green chiles; Tajín; oil; onion powder; salt; and cumin) into a six- to eight-quart slow cooker. You press the button to cook all of this on low and then wait until everything is tender and saucy, about four hours. In doing this, you have turned some very economical ingredients into a sustaining dinner with minimal effort — a very solid return on your investment.
And now for the party part: With the Tajín giving the dish its characteristic spicy and acidic chile-lime kick, this meal is bright and exciting. Even more so if you pile the shredded chicken and beans into warm corn tortillas with queso fresco, maybe some cilantro, definitely some hot sauce. Or you could use this recipe to anchor a build-your-own-burrito-bowl night. Or, with the help of a slotted spoon, you could drape this over tortilla chips, top it all with shredded cheese and slide that into the oven for some pretty excellent nachos. (I’m not a sports person, but I’ve heard that sports are happening at the moment — and I know that watching sports means nachos.)
Add some cold lagers or Topo Chicos; knock everyone’s socks off with a tres leches cake to finish. Business up front, party to finish. Do they give Pulitzers to newsletters?
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Today’s specials
Salmon with braised lentils: This Millie Peartree recipe is exactly the dish I want to make for a January date night at home. The sautéed-leek slicked lentils and delicate salmon (which steams on top of those lentils) feel special and restaurant-y, while the protein and fiber in the dish keep it well within our “let’s at least try to eat a little better” New Year’s goals.
Crispy tofu nuggets: I’m pretty weak in the face of the word “crispy,” especially when it’s next to “tofu” — adding crunch to tofu’s softness is pretty irresistible. Jenné Claiborne’s recipe uses an air fryer to give dill-pickle-brined tofu a golden crust; I’m going to give this recipe a go using the convection setting on my oven.
Doubles: I am including this recipe here simply because I made it the other night and it was so, so good. I skipped the bara (fried bread) only because we had roti we needed to use up, and I used cilantro in both the chickpea curry and the tamarind sauce since we didn’t have chadon beni. And wow, that tangy, puckery, just-sweet-enough tamarind sauce — Badru Deen, Von Diaz and Brigid Washington, if you’re reading this, you have my admiration and appreciation.
You said it
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| Bobbi Lin for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Eugene Jho. |
View this recipe: Hetty Lui McKinnon’s one-pan creamed spinach with eggs
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