Taste Test Tuesday: Canning Chicken

I found out when I first tried canning chicken that it really wasn't that hard.  I read the pressure canner's instructions and studied up on different possible ways to can chicken (raw, cooked, with or without extra liquid, etc) and then tried it myself.  It turned out great.  I personally think that homemade canned chicken tastes better than store-bought canned chicken, and that is without adding any extra flavoring to the canned chicken.  Canned chicken is great to use in everyday recipes, but also for camping--as it doesn't need to be kept cold before use.

So here are the basics:  To can chicken or any meats, a pressure canner is needed--make sure it is working properly.  Prepare the canner, jars, lids, etc.  You want everything ready before starting.

Raw or cooked chicken can be canned.  If packing raw, you don't need to add water if you don't want to--the canning process will provide its own juices.  You can add broth or water to raw or cooked chicken, but again leave one inch headspace.  Use a nonmetal spatula to remove air bubbles.

Before putting the lid on be sure to wipe the rim to remove any chicken or juices that got onto it--otherwise it may not seal properly.  Once the jars are filled, cleaned and lids and rings on them, you place them into the pressure canner and follow the instructions for how much water, pressure, and time.    Error on the side of more than needed water, rather than less than needed, you do NOT want to run out of water while pressure canning!  Pay attention to the pressure canner throughout the process--this isn't something like a crockpot meal that can be left alone for long periods of time.  The time starts when the canner is to pressure, and you need to check often to make sure the canner is maintaining a constant pressure, that it isn't going over or below your target pressure listed for your pressure canner and altitude.  Once the canning is done, remove the jars onto a towel to cool.  Remove the rings (see note below).  Once cool, label and store.

Notes:  I suggest removing the rings even if you plan on storing the jars with the rings on them--the reason is by removing them you can do a visual to make sure it sealed properly.  Once you've done a visual, you can replace the rings leaving them slightly loose if you prefer to store your rings with the canned food.  If you've lost the instructions that came with your pressure canner, you will want to find and print a new set.

Enjoy!