Go to file/directory in Midnight Commander by typing

You don't need any plugins. You have two options:

1. In current directory panel, type Alt+s or Ctrl+s, then type your search pattern, the cursor will jump to the matches sequentially. To toggle through all results that match the current pattern, repeat the keystroke.

   Note: The Ctrl+s combination will freeze many terminal implementations (press [Ctrl+q to unfreeze), so use Alt+s instead if that happens to you.

2. Disable Command prompt in Options/Layout.

You can press Ctrl-\ to go to a list of shortcuts to your preferred directories. You can organize these directories in groups.

On a side note: it's worth to invest a few minutes in reading the manual. There are many, many useful commands you'll discover.

Edit: If all you want is to navigate to a directory in the current panel, then Alt-s is the way to go, as @cuonglm points out. You can then press Alt-o to open the subdirectory pointed to by the cursor in the other panel, and you can also press Alt-l to follow symlinks.