Canning Chicken

I was just telling myself that I needed to can some more chicken next time it went on sale because I only have a few jars left on the shelf.  Then Tuesday I got the flyer from a local grocery store and they had chicken breasts on sale for 99¢ a pound.  Yeah!

I had Friday off from work so I got up early and stopped at Walmart to pick up some more wide mouth pint jars, I got 2 cases.  Then on to the grocery store to buy the chicken.

Each package had 4 large breasts, these are with bones and skin which makes it so much more flavorful.

Got out my big Anya pot (it was a gift) and put in water, 1 large onion chopped, half a bunch of celery chopped, 3 carrots sliced, 2 tablespoons dried sliced garlic and about a 1/2 cup of dried parsley.

Once that was boiling I added chicken, 8 breasts at a time is all the pot will hold.  Some folks like to can the chicken raw but I like to boil mine so it comes off the bone easily and so that it makes wonderful rich broth.

Once a batch is done I scoop out the chicken and plop it into a large bowl to cool enough for handling and add more chicken to the pot.  I bought 6 packages so I had 3 batches to boil, that's 24 chicken breasts and they were about a pound each.

Once the chicken is cool enough to work with I pull chunks off the bones and put in a separate bowl, the discard goes into it's own bowl for broth making later.

(before the broth was added)

Once everything is ready to go for the canning I add a teaspoon of salt to each jar and stuff it full of chicken leaving about an inch of head space, then using a cup and funnel I add hot broth to cover the chicken.  Wipe the rim of the jar with a paper towel or cloth and vinegar to remove any residue, add a lid and ring and into the pressure canner they go.

I can get 8 pints in my canner if they are the regular mouth jars, but with wide mouth I can only do 7 at a time.  Process at 10 pounds pressure for 75 minutes for pints.  I got 21 pints and a small bowl left over to make chicken salad with, this worked out to $1.40 per pint of chicken.  Broth is next on the list!

I use pints as they are the perfect size for me, a larger family would probably call for quarts.  I use this chicken for chicken salad and a plethora of casseroles, skillet meals and stir fries.  Tastes better than the chicken in cans and works out cheaper too if you can get the chicken on sale.   Yes I might spend an entire day canning, but I have the makings for many good home cooked and fast meals that don't take up freezer space and won't ruin if a hurricane knocks out the electricity.

Linking to
Scratch Cooking Tuesday
Barn Hop #75