Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Bake

Ingredients

• 600g cooked chicken, shredded
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 400g black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 200g sweetcorn
• 8 flour tortillas
• sea salt and black pepper, to season
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 150ml sour cream
• 350g enchilada sauce
• 200g cheddar, grated
• 10g fresh coriander, chopped (optional)
• Lime wedges, to serve

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan 180°C). Warm the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, add the chopped red onion with a pinch of salt, and cook for 5–6 minutes until softened and translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook just until fragrant — 30 seconds, no more. Burnt garlic turns the whole bake bitter.
2. Add the ground cumin to the pan and bloom it in the oil for 30–60 seconds until fragrant and nutty. Raw cumin tastes dusty; bloomed cumin tastes of itself, and this is the step most enchilada bakes skip. Tip the lot into a large bowl and let it cool for a minute.
3. Add the shredded chicken, black beans, sweetcorn and about three-quarters of the enchilada sauce to the bowl. Season generously with salt and pepper, then taste — the filling should be lively and properly saucy, not damp. Adjust now, not at the table.
4. Warm the tortillas for 20–30 seconds in the microwave or a dry pan until pliable — cold tortillas crack the moment you roll them. Spoon equal amounts of filling down the centre of each, roll tightly, and place seam-side down in a lightly oiled 23 x 33cm baking dish so the seams steam shut as it bakes.
5. Blend the remaining enchilada sauce with the soured cream and pour evenly over the rolled tortillas, making sure every top is covered — any bare tortilla will dry into a crisp shard. Scatter the grated cheddar across the surface in an even layer.
6. Bake for 22–25 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and blistered in patches, the edges of the tortillas crisp and golden, with sauce showing dark at the corners.
7. Rest the bake for 3–4 minutes off the heat so the sauce settles and the slices hold their shape rather than collapsing onto the plate.
8. Scatter the chopped coriander over the top, add a pinch of chilli flakes, and serve with lime wedges to squeeze over each portion — that hit of lime juice cuts through the cheese and lifts everything you've just built. Green salad or rice alongside.