If you are looking for easy store cupboard staples to use during weeknight meals then learning how to can chicken can help make homemade casseroles, soups, and stews a breeze in the kitchen especially if you are busy with all the other things going on around your homestead!
This post contains affiliate links: I am grateful to be of service and bring you content free of charge. In order to do this, please note that when you click links and purchase items; in most (but not all) cases I will receive a referral commission. Your support in purchasing through these links enables me to keep blogging to help you start homesteading and it doesn’t cost you a penny extra!
See Disclosure, Terms and Conditions for more information. Thank you for supporting Misfit Gardening.
If you have been lucky enough to make use of a great sale or deal and stock up on meat recently or you are going to raise chickens this year then learning how to can chicken will come in very handy for you!
Why Can Chicken?
Well, of course, you could just freeze your chicken. But if you are trying to free up freezer space for other things like bread, milk, batch cooking dump dinners or a pal who’s hooking you up with a pig. Then canning chicken is going to make it shelf-stable. That means you can store it in the pantry or in a cupboard.
What Do I Need To Can Chicken?
Canning chicken does require some special equipment. It requires a pressure canner and some jars.
What is a pressure canner?
A pressure canner is a piece of kit that can maintain pressure on your jars to ensure that the meat inside the jars is heated all the way through. This is important to protect your and your family from microbes which can grow in your food that can make you sick.
There are lots of styles available for a range of budgets and capacity and my favorites are here:
- Presto 01784 23-Quart Induction Compatible Pressure Canner
will hold about 26 half-pint jars, 20 pint jars or 7 quart jars.
- All American 921 Pressure Canner 21.5 qt
has both a weighted and dial gauge and will hold about 19 standard mouth pint jars or 16 wide-mouth pint jars or 7 quart jars. The All American Canner is not ideal for glass top ranges so it may not work for your homestead.
- All American 941 Pressure Canner 41.5 qt
is what I use. It’s big and heavy but I can fit about 32 standard mouth pint jars or 26 wide-mouth pint jars or 19 quart jars making more efficient use of my time canning. The All American Canner is not ideal for glass top ranges so it may not work for your homestead.
will hold about 26 half-pint jars, 20 pint jars or 7 quart jars.
has both a weighted and dial gauge and will hold about 19 standard mouth pint jars or 16 wide-mouth pint jars or 7 quart jars. The All American Canner is not ideal for glass top ranges so it may not work for your homestead.
is what I use. It’s big and heavy but I can fit about 32 standard mouth pint jars or 26 wide-mouth pint jars or 19 quart jars making more efficient use of my time canning. The All American Canner is not ideal for glass top ranges so it may not work for your homestead.A pressure canner is an investment on your homestead and is essential for canning meat. You cannot can chicken using a water bath canner, you must use a pressure canner to ensure it is safe for you and your family.
Jars
You will need some mason jars to can chicken. These clear glass mason jars with two-piece lids are perfect for homestead canning without a heavy price tag. You can chicken in pints or quarts, I prefer to use pints because you can make the chicken stretch a little further when making meals.
How To Can Chicken Breasts
This is the raw pack method is to can chicken breasts with no bones. You can place about 1 lb of chicken in a pint jar and it makes a nice flavorful broth to add to your cooking.
Wash your jars out to clean them of any debris. Place the lids into a saucepan of water and bring to the boil.
If you have purchased prepared chicken breasts then chop up the chicken into chunks using a sharp knife or kitchen shears. This makes it easier to get the canned chicken out of the jar!
Add 1 teaspoon of salt to each jar. Avoid iodized salt for canning.
Fill jars loosely with the raw chicken leaving 1 1/4 inch of headspace. Don’t add any liquid!
Wipe the jar rim with a damp paper towel to remove any food particles and help the lids seal properly. Then place a lid on the jar. Using the magnetic lid lifter
Place your sealed jars into your pressure canner on a rack. Add water into the canner, attach the lid and begin to heat the canner according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Process pint jars for 75 minutes (1 hour and 15 minutes) at the pressure in the table below. Process quart jars for 90 minutes (1 hour and 30 minutes) at the pressure in the table below.
Once they have processed for the right time at the right pressure for your canner and altitude, turn off the heat and allow the pressure to return to normal in the canner before opening.
Allow your jars to cool and seal before moving them into the pantry to store. Your finished jars will look something like this:
Add them into your weekday meals and see what you can make from your very own, home-canned chicken!
Learn More
If this post has wetted your appetite to learn more about canning here are some of my favorite resources and books on canning that I use all the time:
- U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDSA) Complete Guide to Home Canning get the PDF version here or buy the print copy here
- The University of Georgia So Easy To Preserve
- The All New Ball Book of Canning and Preserving: Over 350 of the Best Canned, Jammed, Pickled, and Preserved Recipes
If you liked this post please take a moment to share it using the share buttons below or pin the image below to Pinterest and save it for later and join us over on YouTube to get to know me and my homestead in the suburbs or join the Facebook group for live Q&A, advice, and support on homesteading or learn how you can get more tips and tricks by signing up for my newsletter and get free printables in the Homestead Resource Library.
Always ensure to operate safely. All projects are purely “at your own risk” and are for information purposes only. As with any project, unfamiliarity with the tools, animals, plants, and processes can be dangerous. Posts, podcasts, and videos should be read and interpreted as theoretical advice only and are not a substitute for advice from a fully licensed professional.
As remuneration for running this blog, this post contains affiliate links. Misfit Gardening is a participant in Affiliate or Associate’s programs. An affiliate advertising program is designed to provide a means for this website/blog to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to websites offering products described in the blog post. It does not cost you the Reader anything extra. See Disclosures, Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy for more information about use of this website.
Share this:
