Posted: 6/2/2008 9:10:42 AM EDT
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I have not seen anything around here about canning chicken. I am planning on getting into canning this summer and I would like to put up some meats. I am planning on doing beef and maybe venison during hunting season, and would like to do some different chicken meals in cans as well. So...whats the deal on canning chicken? Can I just get whole chickens or fresh chicken pieces from the grocery store? Whats the process, and can I cook up stuff like chicken and rice with cream of mushroom soup and put that all in a can? |
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Here are some pictures of how we canned chicken, chicken broth, and hamburger. We live in town and cannot raise chickens here. I purchased a number of chicken breasts (with bones) when they were on sale. I cut the chicken off of the bone, and cubed it to about 3/4 inch or so. We cooked off the bones for a strong broth. Fill the canning jars with chunked chicken - do not pack it tight. Pour in the strong broth to 1 inch or a little less from the top of the jar. Pressure can at 10 lbs pressure for 90 minutes - I am sure you could do less, but this is what the ball book called for. This is what you should get.  A closer picture - sorry it is not very clear.  It you want to can chicken broth: Remove the rib bones from the broth, and strain. Fill the jars, again leave an inch or a little more space at the top. If you want chicken in your broth, put some in. Pressure can at 10 lbs for either 75 or 90 minutes - I cannot remember offhand for sure - but I think it was 75 minutes. This is what you should get.  For hamburger or meat, follow the books instructions. We canned some hamburger as follows. We browned the hamburger (although you do not need to) and placed in canning jars. Again, leave at least 1 inch of space at the top of the jar. The hamburger we were canning was a fatty meat, so we left a little more space at the top. Even though we did, we still had several cans that did not seal correctly. I believe it was because of the boiling fat exiting the glass jar, and lubricating the rubber gasket of the lid, preventing a vacuum from forming in the jar. We did not have this problem with the chicken breast which was not nearly as fatty. This is just my best guess on what happened. The lids were all from the same case, and worked correctly on everything else. Anyways, pressure can at 10 lbs for 90 minutes, and this is what you should get.  I have never canned chicken meals in a can, I guess you could, but I think if I was going to go through all of the trouble to can meat (our pressure canner only holds 7 quarts per batch - which is about average), (remember 90 minutes a batch), I would can the chicken, and pour in a can of cream of mushroom soup when you are ready to use it. If you need a pressure canner, I recommend an All American pressure canner with a metal to metal seal - no gasket to go bad. |