Oh The Places We'll Go... With Leftovers

I made Chicken Chipotle Chowder Wednesday night (Chupe de Pollo con Chipotle) - one of my old favorites! It's a rich, spicy soup that can work in summer or winter. That said, it is not a week night soup like it is advertised and you will heat up your kitchen. I have Wednesdays off and it's swap night with my neighbor. I wanted to make something special for them as they are always spoiling us with all sorts of homemade treats so spending a few hours cooking was worth it.

The chicken in the recipe gets boiled and simmered with garlic, onions, carrots, celery, oregano and cumin together in chicken broth. It makes for a savory and moist meat addition. I decided this time around to add extra chicken as the chicken breasts are boiled whole in the broth.

With the extra chicken I made an "enchilada bake" that turned out to be an elaborate dip more than a casserole. I'm not complaining though. I cleaned out my fridge and I got several dinners and more to share with the neighbors. I shredded the chicken for the bake, added some whipping cream to each layer, more cumin, cilantro, black beans and black olives. Then I drizzled on fresh homemade annatto oil, which if you haven't tried this before you should. Annatto oil makes a fabulously sensual oil, the color of cadmium red. If you can't find annatto, the prolific Penzy's Spices carries it - it arrives along with directions on how to make the oil. I'm christening the recipe now "enchilada dip."