Preserving food at home is a rewarding skill, and Basic Pressure Canned Chicken are your gateway to safely and efficiently storing a variety of delicious foods for later enjoyment. This guide will walk you through some essential pressure canning techniques and a foundational recipe that you can adapt countless ways, ensuring you have healthy, homemade goodness ready at your fingertips year-round.
Key Ingredients for Basic Pressure Canned Chicken
- 2-3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon salt (optional, for flavor)
- Water or unsalted chicken broth, as needed for filling jars
How to Make Pressure Canned Chicken
Transforming raw chicken into shelf-stable, ready-to-use meals has never been simpler! This beginner-friendly approach to pressure canning recipes focuses on yielding tender, versatile chicken that can be used in everything from soups and salads to sandwiches and casseroles. With its minimal prep and straightforward process, you’ll be amazed at how satisfying it is to have your own home-canned chicken ready for any culinary adventure, saving you time and money. The entire process, from preparation to canning, can take approximately 1.5 hours, not including the cooling time for the jars.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Prepare Your Equipment: Ensure you have your pressure canner, canning jars (pint or quart-sized), new lids, and rings thoroughly washed and sterilized. Jars should be kept hot to prevent thermal shock when filling.
- Prepare the Chicken: Trim any excess fat from the chicken and cut it into roughly 1-inch cubes. You can lightly season with salt if desired, but avoid adding any other seasonings or liquids at this stage, as they can affect the safety of pressure canning.
- Hot Pack Method: For this recipe, we will use the hot pack method. Briefly cook the chicken cubes. You can do this by simmering them in water or broth for about 5-10 minutes until they are no longer pink. This helps to drive out air and reduce shrinkage during canning. Drain the chicken thoroughly.
- Fill the Jars: Ladle the hot, drained chicken into your hot jars, leaving 1 inch of headspace at the top. Headspace is the empty space between the top of the food and the rim of the jar.
- Add Liquid: Pour boiling water or unsalted chicken broth over the chicken in each jar, again maintaining the 1-inch headspace. Remove any air bubbles by sliding a non-metallic spatula or bubble remover tool around the inside of the jar.
- Wipe Jar Rims: Clean the rims of each jar with a damp, clean cloth. This is crucial for ensuring a proper seal. Any food particles on the rim can prevent the lid from sealing correctly.
- Place Lids and Rings: Center a new, prepared canning lid on each jar. Screw on a ring until it is fingertip tight. Do not overtighten, as air needs to escape during processing.
- Prepare the Pressure Canner: Add the amount of water specified in your pressure canner’s manual to the canner. This is usually a few quarts. Place the filled jars on the rack inside the canner, ensuring they do not touch each other or the sides of the canner.
- Start Venting: Secure the lid of the pressure canner, leaving the vent pipe open (or petcock open, depending on your canner model). Turn the heat to medium-high and allow steam to escape vigorously from the vent pipe for 10 minutes. This process, known as venting, removes air from the canner, which is essential for reaching the correct temperature.
- Pressurize the Canner: After venting for 10 minutes, place the weight on the vent pipe or close the petcock. Allow the pressure to build up to the required level for your altitude and jar size. For pint jars, typically 10-12 pounds of dial gauge pressure is needed at or below 1,000 feet elevation. For quart jars, 10-15 pounds is standard. Consult your pressure canner’s manual or the National Center for Home Food Preservation guidelines for precise pressure requirements.
- Process the Jars: Once the desired pressure is reached and maintained, start your timer for processing. For chicken, the processing time is 65 minutes for pint jars and 75 minutes for quart jars at 10 pounds of pressure (or 11 pounds at altitudes over 1,000 feet if using a weighted gauge canner). If using a dial gauge canner, maintain the pressure specified by the manufacturer for your altitude. Do not begin timing until the correct pressure is reached.
- Depressurize Gradually: After the processing time is complete, turn off the heat. Let the pressure canner cool down naturally. Do not try to speed up the cooling process. The pressure will naturally drop to zero. Do not attempt to open the canner until the pressure has completely returned to zero and the lid can be easily removed.
- Remove Jars: Once the canner is depressurized, carefully remove the weight from the vent pipe and unlock the lid. Wait an additional 10 minutes before carefully removing the jars from the canner using a jar lifter. Place them upright on a towel-lined counter and leave them undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours to allow them to seal properly. You may hear popping sounds as the lids seal.
- Check Seals: After 12-24 hours, check the seals on the jars. The lid should be concave (curved downward) and should not flex when pressed. Remove the rings, wipe the jars clean, and store them in a cool, dark, dry place. If a lid has not sealed, refrigerate the contents immediately and use within a few days or reprocess within 24 hours.
Why You’ll Love This Pressure Canned Chicken
You’ll absolutely adore your batch of pressure canned chicken because it’s incredibly versatile, saving you both precious time and hard-earned money. Imagine having perfectly cooked, tender chicken ready to be shredded for tacos, cubed for a quick chicken salad, or tossed into your favorite soup, all without the need for any last-minute cooking. This foundational recipe, a cornerstone of smart pressure canning recipes, unlocks a world of convenient meal solutions, transforming weeknight dinners from stressful to simple.
Think about that moment when you realize dinner needs to be on the table in 30 minutes, and you can simply reach into your pantry and pull out a jar of home-canned chicken – pure bliss! It’s a delicious and budget-friendly alternative to store-bought canned chicken, which often has added salt or preservatives. Plus, the natural flavor of the chicken shines through, making it a blank canvas for all your culinary creations. So, get ready to embrace the ease and flavor of home canning; you won’t regret adding these pressure canned chicken jars to your pantry!
Storing and Reheating Tips
Proper storage is key to enjoying your pressure canning recipes safely. Once your jars have cooled and sealed completely, remove the rings to prevent rust and check that the lids are still concave and firm. Store the jars in a cool (ideally 50-70°F or 10-21°C), dark, and dry place, away from direct sunlight and extreme temperature fluctuations. Properly canned chicken can remain shelf-stable for at least 12 months, though its quality may begin to diminish slightly after that. Always label your jars with the contents and the date they were canned.
To reheat your pressure canned chicken, simply open a jar and use the chicken as is, or heat it gently. If shredding or cubing for a dish, you can add a tablespoon or two of reserved liquid from the jar for added moisture and flavor. For larger quantities or to heat thoroughly, you can briefly simmer the chicken in a saucepan with a little added broth or water, or even warm it gently in the microwave. If you find you have more than you’ll use within a few days, you can freeze leftover opened chicken in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Final Thoughts
Diving into pressure canning recipes like this basic chicken is an incredibly empowering step towards self-sufficiency and delicious, convenient meals. The satisfaction of pulling a perfectly preserved jar from your pantry is immense, and we encourage you to try this easy method at home to experience it for yourself. Happy canning!
Read more :
- Canning Corn on the Cob
- Canning Vegetable Soup
- Pickled Mixed Vegetables (Giardiniera)
- Canning Vegetable Stock
- Pressure Canning Green Beans
- our Pinterest
Basic Pressure Canned Chicken
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Ensure you have your pressure canner, canning jars (pint or quart-sized), new lids, and rings thoroughly washed and sterilized. Jars should be kept hot to prevent thermal shock when filling.
- Trim any excess fat from the chicken and cut it into roughly 1-inch cubes. You can lightly season with salt if desired, but avoid adding any other seasonings or liquids at this stage, as they can affect the safety of pressure canning.2-3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, 1 teaspoon salt
- Briefly cook the chicken cubes. You can do this by simmering them in water or broth for about 5-10 minutes until they are no longer pink. This helps to drive out air and reduce shrinkage during canning. Drain the chicken thoroughly.water or unsalted chicken broth
- Ladle the hot, drained chicken into your hot jars, leaving 1 inch of headspace at the top. Headspace is the empty space between the top of the food and the rim of the jar.
- Pour boiling water or unsalted chicken broth over the chicken in each jar, again maintaining the 1-inch headspace. Remove any air bubbles by sliding a non-metallic spatula or bubble remover tool around the inside of the jar.water or unsalted chicken broth
- Clean the rims of each jar with a damp, clean cloth. This is crucial for ensuring a proper seal. Any food particles on the rim can prevent the lid from sealing correctly.
- Center a new, prepared canning lid on each jar. Screw on a ring until it is fingertip tight. Do not overtighten, as air needs to escape during processing.
- Add the amount of water specified in your pressure canner’s manual to the canner. This is usually a few quarts. Place the filled jars on the rack inside the canner, ensuring they do not touch each other or the sides of the canner.
- Secure the lid of the pressure canner, leaving the vent pipe open (or petcock open, depending on your canner model). Turn the heat to medium-high and allow steam to escape vigorously from the vent pipe for 10 minutes. This process, known as venting, removes air from the canner, which is essential for reaching the correct temperature.
- After venting for 10 minutes, place the weight on the vent pipe or close the petcock. Allow the pressure to build up to the required level for your altitude and jar size. For pint jars, typically 10-12 pounds of dial gauge pressure is needed at or below 1,000 feet elevation. For quart jars, 10-15 pounds is standard. Consult your pressure canner’s manual or the National Center for Home Food Preservation guidelines for precise pressure requirements.
- Once the desired pressure is reached and maintained, start your timer for processing. For chicken, the processing time is 65 minutes for pint jars and 75 minutes for quart jars at 10 pounds of pressure (or 11 pounds at altitudes over 1,000 feet if using a weighted gauge canner). If using a dial gauge canner, maintain the pressure specified by the manufacturer for your altitude. Do not begin timing until the correct pressure is reached.
- After the processing time is complete, turn off the heat. Let the pressure canner cool down naturally. Do not try to speed up the cooling process. The pressure will naturally drop to zero. Do not attempt to open the canner until the pressure has completely returned to zero and the lid can be easily removed.
- Once the canner is depressurized, carefully remove the weight from the vent pipe and unlock the lid. Wait an additional 10 minutes before carefully removing the jars from the canner using a jar lifter. Place them upright on a towel-lined counter and leave them undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours to allow them to seal properly. You may hear popping sounds as the lids seal.
- After 12-24 hours, check the seals on the jars. The lid should be concave (curved downward) and should not flex when pressed. Remove the rings, wipe the jars clean, and store them in a cool, dark, dry place. If a lid has not sealed, refrigerate the contents immediately and use within a few days or reprocess within 24 hours.