Chicken Fajita Wraps with Peppers and Cheese

Ingredients

• 600g skinless chicken breast fillets, sliced into 1cm strips
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp mild chilli powder
• ½ tsp garlic granules
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 red peppers, deseeded and sliced into thin strips
• 1 yellow pepper, deseeded and sliced into thin strips
• 1 large red onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 x 400g tin black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 ripe tomatoes, finely diced
• 1 fresh red chilli, finely diced
• 1 lime, juiced
• 8 medium flour tortillas, warmed, to serve
• 100g mature cheddar, coarsely grated, to serve
• 150ml sour cream, to serve
• a small bunch of fresh coriander, leaves picked, to serve
• 2 limes, cut into wedges, to serve
• hot sauce, to serve

Method

1. Toss the chicken strips with the smoked paprika, cumin, ground coriander, chilli powder, garlic granules, olive oil and a generous seasoning of salt and pepper. The oil is doing real work here — it carries the spices into the meat and helps them bloom the moment they hit the hot pan, so every strip wants to be slick and evenly coated. Leave to sit while you prep the vegetables.
2. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large stainless or cast-iron frying pan over a high heat until it's properly shimmering — fajitas need a hot, dry pan to get the char, and a lukewarm pan will steam the vegetables grey. Add the peppers and red onion in a single layer and leave them alone for a minute before stirring. Cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring only occasionally, until softened with dark, blistered edges.
3. Season the peppers and onion well, then squeeze over the lime juice so it hisses against the hot pan and lifts the sweetness of the charred edges. Tip onto a warm plate and cover loosely with foil.
4. Return the pan to a high heat — don't clean it, those stuck-on bits are flavour. Lay the chicken strips out in a single layer; if your pan looks crowded, work in two batches. Crowd the pan and the chicken steams in its own water instead of browning, and you've lost the whole point. Cook for 6–8 minutes, turning halfway, until the spices have toasted to a deep mahogany crust and the chicken is cooked through.
5. While the chicken cooks, combine the black beans, diced tomatoes and red chilli in a bowl. Squeeze over the lime juice, season with salt, and taste — the salsa should be bright and lively, not flat. Adjust now, not at the table.
6. Warm the tortillas directly over a gas flame for 20–30 seconds per side until lightly charred and pliable, or wrap in foil and heat in a low oven for 5 minutes until soft and steamy. Cold tortillas crack — warm ones fold.
7. Return the peppers and onion to the pan with the chicken and toss together over a medium heat for 1–2 minutes until everything is piping hot, glossy and smelling unmistakably of fajitas. Taste one final strip and check the seasoning.
8. Bring the sizzling pan to the table with the warm tortillas, black bean salsa, grated cheddar, soured cream, lime wedges, hot sauce and a scatter of torn coriander leaves over the chicken. Let everyone build their own — chicken and peppers down first, salsa, cheese, soured cream, a squeeze of lime, a final pinch of coriander on top.