Canning Chicken Meat

[trapper john]

I do a lot of canning of fish chicken moose caribou ect on birds I cut the meat from the bone place it in sterile jars then cook meat of the bones along with the liver gizzards necks and such for broth than add it to the jars and place them in the pressure cooker works great! Putting the meat in raw keeps it from over cooking... It taste just like the chicken in the tuna looking cans just better.. Just keep thing clean sterile cold or really hot...

 

[wyoDreamer]

I tried this with some store bought, boneless-skinless chicken breasts that I got on sale last fall.
It is really handy to have on the shelf for quick suppers. Tasty and quick. I will definately do this again. If I can find some thigh quarters on sale, I think the dark meat will taste better - at least until I raise some meaties of my own.

 

[wyoDreamer]

I forgot to add that I did not cook the meat before pressure canning. With the amount of time and pressure required for safe canning of meat, I figured that the meat would be cooked completely when packed raw. I find the chicken to be slightly over-cooked coming out of the jar but for what I use it for it is delicious. So far I have made chicken enchiladas, chicken stew and Chicken-N-Dumplins. I think using an older homeraised meat bird for this would make a better product - something that has texture to start with will probably not get as soft as the store-bought breast meat.

 

[donrae]

I tried this with some store bought, boneless-skinless chicken breasts that I got on sale last fall.
It is really handy to have on the shelf for quick suppers. Tasty and quick. I will definately do this again. If I can find some thigh quarters on sale, I think the dark meat will taste better - at least until I raise some meaties of my own.

I canned some of those leg quarters, cooked them first to get the meat off the bone. They held up better than the skinless boneless breasts, not as mushy. According to my Blue book, you could can them bone in, I might try that and then just remove the bone when you open the jar? Kind of seems like a waste of space to can the bone, but then it's a waste of time to cook the meat that could actually be raw packed. Decisions, decisions.

 

[wyoDreamer]

Canning with the bone-in will probably add alot of flavor and make it easier to pull the meat off to use it.
I bet the broth that forms in the jar during the canning process is delicious when you do them bone in.

 

[donrae]

I was thinking of that, too, cause I've been less than inpressed by the broth with the breasts. I do have four big packs of breasts in the fridge, they were $1.39 a pound and I just couldn't pass them up. Need to can or freeze them, something. Also have three big packs of thighs--not boneless/skinless, just reg thighs--I also need to do something with. Oh, plus four roosters that should be butchered sometime soon!

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

Another question. I was reading my ball book and it says for raw pack to leave and inch headroom, add salt and work out air bubbles. Does this mean that when you pack the jars, you add broth or water to it? If so, should it be hot or cold? Sorry, doing fruits and veges was much easier and directions a lot clearer. I just want to do this right.

 

[Mac in Wisco]

Another question. I was reading my ball book and it says for raw pack to leave and inch headroom, add salt and work out air bubbles. Does this mean that when you pack the jars, you add broth or water to it? If so, should it be hot or cold? Sorry, doing fruits and veges was much easier and directions a lot clearer. I just want to do this right.

With raw pack you can do it with or without liquid and liquid can be hot broth or water.

If you do it without liquid the chicken will make its own broth, but it will only be about a third to a half of the jar, some folks prefer it that way.

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

Thanks Mac. I will try it without adding anything. Is it necessary to add the salt or can I omit it?

 

[donrae]

You can omit the salt, it's for taste and not preservation. I've canned lots of things without salt and had good results.