Canning Chicken

Hi All...   

I've had a full weekend.  Spent time Saturday at a birthday party for 2 of my grandkids, turned 2 and 5...  how time flies!  Then got to see our small town's parade and fireworks that cap off the annual town fair.  What fun we had!   

Today, I spent the day pressure canning chicken.    I typically can meats/soups/stews in the off-season while waiting for fresh produce from my garden.  I ordered fresh, boneless, skinless breasts bulk from our local GFS (Gordon Food Service).  Paid approx. $1.63/lb.  ($65/40lbs).  I get approx. 2lbs chicken/quart.   Turned out great!

  < < < Finished Product

Oh ...  so tender!  > > >

 Don't be intimidated by pressure canning...  here's how I did it...

(No need to sterilize jars when pressure canning)

• Cut raw chicken into 1" strips and fill the clean jars to about 1" headspace (space from top of food to top rim of jar)  Adding 1 tsp salt is optional.  I do NOT add any for health benefits.
• Adding liquid such as boiling water or broth is optional...  I do NOT add any liquid because you can see in the picture above that the chicken will cook in its own juices very nicely.
• While loading your jars, have your lid inserts boiling in water on the stove.
• Once the jars are loaded, wipe the rims of the jars with a wet rag.  Anything left on the rim may keep the jars from sealing properly.  Don't take any chances!
• Add an insert and a ring to each jar, only finger tightening.  Do NOT crank them down hard as that can cause lids to buckle under pressure.  Load up the canner.
• Place lid on the pressure canner and turn up the heat on your stove. Allow steam to vent out for ten minutes before placing on the pressure regulator.
• Bring the pressure up to the correct amount for your elevation** (mine was 10 pounds pressure). Process for 75 minutes for pints and 90 minutes for quarts.
• Turn off heat and allow pressure to come down naturally. This can take awhile so be prepared to wait. Remove the pressure regulator from the vent pipe to make sure all pressure is out.
• Using a jar lifter, remove jars and allow to cool.  Check seals, label and date them.

** If you don't know your proper altitude adjustments for pressure, please get a copy of a BALL canning guide or other appropriate canning book... or there are charts on the internet as well.   This is very important when canning!

Enjoy!