Chicken and Black Bean Tortilla Skillet

Ingredients

• 400 g fully cooked boneless chicken, shredded
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons tomato purée
• 1 x 400 g can chopped tomatoes
• 150 ml low-salt chicken stock
• 1 x 400 g can black beans, drained and rinsed (about 240 g drained)
• 6 small corn tortillas, cut into wide strips
• 100 g grated cheddar
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt, only if needed
• 15 g cilantro, chopped
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Instructions

1. Check the cooked chicken. Use chicken that was cooked safely and chilled promptly, or shred freshly cooked chicken with clean forks. Keep chilled chicken refrigerated until the sauce is nearly ready. Cut the tortillas into strips about 3 cm wide and set the cheese and toppings aside.
2. Soften the vegetables. Heat oil in a wide lidded skillet over medium heat. Cook onion and pepper for 7–8 minutes until soft, stirring. Add garlic, cumin, paprika, oregano and tomato purée. Stir for 1 minute, lowering the heat if the spices begin sticking.
3. Simmer the sauce. Add tomatoes and stock, breaking up large tomato pieces with a spoon. Simmer uncovered for 8–10 minutes until slightly thickened. It should still be loose enough to moisten tortillas. Taste before adding salt because the stock, chicken and cheese already contribute seasoning.
4. Heat chicken and beans. Stir in the shredded chicken and drained black beans. Simmer gently until the mixture is hot, stirring from the bottom. Add a little water if it becomes stiff. Do not add raw chicken here: this method and timing are designed for fully cooked meat.
5. Add tortillas and cheese. Fold in tortilla strips without crushing them. Sprinkle cheese over the surface, cover and cook on low heat for 4–6 minutes until the cheese melts and tortillas soften. Check the casserole reaches 74°C/165°F throughout, especially when using chilled cooked chicken.
6. Rest and spoon into bowls. Take off the heat and stand for 2 minutes with the lid off. Scatter cilantro over the top and serve with lime wedges. Spoon from the bottom so each portion gets chicken, beans and tortillas. Add fresh toppings only after serving to keep their texture.

Tips and troubleshooting

If the base catches, the heat is too high or the sauce is too dry; loosen with water and use a gentler setting. Do not keep stirring once the tortilla strips have softened or they will dissolve. A lid that seals reasonably well helps melt cheese without using an oven grill.

Substitutions

Use cooked turkey instead of chicken. Pinto beans can replace black beans. For a vegetarian adaptation, replace chicken with another drained can of beans and use vegetable stock plus vegetarian-labelled cheese. Mild paprika replaces smoked paprika for a gentler flavour.

Allergen notes

Contains milk from cheese. Corn tortillas and stock may contain wheat or other allergens; check packages. Use certified gluten-free ingredients if required rather than relying only on the tortilla name.

Storage and reheating

If using previously cooked chicken, reheat it only once and eat this skillet immediately rather than chilling it for another reheating cycle. For advance preparation, make the vegetable sauce separately, chill promptly and add fresh cooked chicken, tortillas and cheese when serving.

Food safety guidance: FoodSafety.gov cooking temperatures and the Food Standards Agency home food fact checker. Follow local food-safety advice and ingredient use-by dates.