Canning Chicken Breast
 

Im sure its on here somewhere, but Im still a sheep with an entitlement mentality and want everything handed to me :wink:


Im wondering about canning chicken breast. I know about doing chunks and all that jazz, but what I want to do is, possible, can entire, whole breast, or maybe half breast, instead of small pieces.

Would this be possible, or would the meat become horribly, horrible over cooked?

We buy breast in bulk, but it takes up a lot of freezer space with all the veggies and other meats. We have two 'fridges running, so that says alot.

That, and if the power goes out and the genny runs out of fuel, well, I dont want to have to stuff 20 lbs of chicken down my gut in one night. :biggrin:

Re: Canning Chicken Breast
 

I buy whole chickens, cook them about 2/3's done in the oven then break them up into pieces and stick them in the frig till the carcass cooks down for canning broth.

After that I follow the directions in Ball's book. You have the book don't you?

Re: Canning Chicken Breast
 

I dont have the Ball book, but I do have a couple other home canning books.

I know about the cooking it down and breaking it into pieces, but I wanted to keep the breast as whole as possible, if possible.

I havent homed canned meat yet, this will be my first go at it. When you cook yours in the oven then can it, does it get super dry like the commericaly canned stuff?

Re: Canning Chicken Breast
 

Getting Ready
1.
Step 1

Buy chicken breasts on sale. It is fine if they have the bone in, but if you can get them without the skin, you will save yourself the trouble of removing the skin from the breasts. As a rule, one pint jar takes about 1 1/2 medium to large chicken breasts. Most pressure canners will hold 8 pints. Chill the meat until you are ready to start canning.
2.
Step 2

Wash your jars, rings, and lids in the dishwasher. Since the temperature inside the pressure cooker is going to get to 235 F, there is no need to sterilize the jars first. They have to be completely clean, however. Make sure there are no nicks or chips on the jars. Anything that will interfere with the vacuum seal will result in spoiled food.
3.
Step 3

Get the pressure canner out, and add two quarts of water to it. Make sure the rack is sitting in the bottom of the pressure canner. Set aside.
4.
Step 4

Get the chicken out of the refrigerator, and unwrap. Wash the chicken breasts thoroughly, and remove the skin and all visible fat. When you pressure cook meat, the meat must be lean. Otherwise, the fat can interfere with the seal.
5.
Step 5

Fill the tea kettle with water, and start heating it.
6.
Step 6

Put the pressure canner on the stove, and turn the heat on to medium.
7.
Step 7

The meat should be packed hot. Put the chicken breasts in a large pot or frying pan (using NO oil), and add a bit of water, and cook it until it is nearly done. Remove from heat, and let it cool a few minutes.
8.
Step 8

You will need to work quickly to keep the meat hot. Using a fork and sharp knife, take each chicken breast and cut it into portions that will fit into the jars. Some pieces can be large, some can be small. Place the chicken breast pieces into a jar, and set it aside while you fill the next jar. Do not pack too tightly. Leave a one-inch head space.
9.
Step 9

When all your jars are filled, put a half a teaspoon of salt in each pint (optional), and evenly distribute the liquid from the precooking into the jars. If you are going to feed your pets this canned chicken, do not use salt. Salt does not contribute to the preserving process at all.
10.
Step 10

Take the hot or boiling water and fill each jar to the one-inch head mark. Do not add too much liquid. Use a spoon to make sure you get all the air bubbles around the chicken meat.
11.
Step 11

Take a damp cloth or paper towel, and wipe the tops of the jars clean. There must be no fat, no bits of meat or broth on the jar tops, otherwise the jars may not seal properly. Put the lids and rings on the jars. Do not overtighten the rings.
Pressure Canning the Chicken
12.
Step 1

This is the easiest part of home-canning meats, but the most critical. Put the jars inside the pressure canner so that none of the sides are touching each other.
13.
Step 2

Put the lid to the pressure canner on, following the manufacturer's instructions. Let it vent for about 10 minutes, once the steam starts escaping from the vent hole.
14.
Step 3

Once it has vented, add the weight or vent cover to the pressure canner. The pressure will now start to build inside the pressure cooker. If you live between sea level and 1,000 feet, you will need to keep the pressure steady at 10 pounds. If you live at a higher elevation, you need to increase the pounds of pressure inside your cooker. Add one pound for every 2,000 feet over sea level that you live. For example, if you live at 6,000 feet, you would pressure cook your chicken at 14 pounds. If you live at 2,000 feet, you would cook it at 11 pounds.If your pressure canner is a weighted gauge type, you have to cook at 15 pounds for all elevations over 1,000 feet.
15.
Step 4

Once you have reached your required pressure, adjust the heat to sustain that pressure. You will need to keep a close eye on the gauge to make sure it is steady. Under processing meat results in spoilage, and overcooking degrades the texture and flavor.
16.
Step 5

Continue cooking the jars for 75 minutes. Turn the heat off, and let the pressure drop naturally. Sudden decreases in pressure inside the canner can cause breakage.
17.
Step 6

Remove the jars from the canner when the pressure drops, and when the jars are cool, wipe with a damp, clean cloth, and store in a cool, dark place.
18.
Step 7

When using the canned chicken, boil it for 10 minutes before you taste it. If you open a jar that has an off smell, discard it. It's not worth getting sick from bad food.

Re: Canning Chicken Breast
 

There she is! :)


Oh yeah, another question from a noob canner.

I have an all american canner with I guess a "weighted pressure gauge". Its a round weight with three holes in it, a 5, 10 and 15, that fit the exhaust valve. (stating the obvious, I know).

HOWEVER, when I was canning up my first batch of roasted red peppers and garlic last night, I followed the direction and put the weight for 10 pounds(the 10 hole). THe pressure reached up to 15lbs, 260+ degrees!

Is that normal? Should I use the "5" lb hole next time? I dont want to cook everything to death if I dont need to.

Re: Canning Chicken Breast
 

[QUOTE=Heimdhal;1824116]There she is! :)


Oh yeah, another question from a noob canner.

I have an all american canner with I guess a "weighted pressure gauge". Its a round weight with three holes in it, a 5, 10 and 15, that fit the exhaust valve. QUOTE]

Congrats on that canner, they are one of the best manufacturers out there. It's hard to believe that they can make a a metal to metal seal work but it does. There should have been an instruction book that shipped in the bottom of the canner, lots of good info in there. If it didn't ship, PM me and I will make a copy and mail it to you. One of the biggest warnings other than overpressure and explosion is regarding their use on a glass top stove, In one word DON"T. If you do, I have heard that you will be shopping for a new stove. The canners are heavy when empty and much heavier when full.

Re: Canning Chicken Breast
 

It hissed and jingled quite a bit. I just thought that was normal. Once I get up a good rolling boil I turn the burner down to medium anyways, to save electricity. Ill have to try it on the "5" next time, maybe empty, and see how it works. Im at sea level so 10 lbs of pressure is usualy just fine for me. Hell the thing gets up to 5lbs without the weight on it at all!

[quote=Fatboy;1824175]Yeah that metal to metal seal is nuts. Even a neighbor of mine was just commenting on that the other day. He looked at it and said "hey, wheres the rubber gasket thing." Lol.

I have it some where. I've had the canner for a while now. Its actualy not "mine". I borrowed it from a good friend, whos yet to pick it up :applause_ I read the instructions all when I first got it, but its been at least 6 months since I've used, even longer since I've read the book. Probably would be good to go back and read it! IIRC though it did say to put the weight on "10" for 10 lbs. I dont have the best memory, but I know theres a reason for why I am doing the things Im doing...somewhere... :biggrin:

Unfortunatley all I have is a glass top stove, but I use it so rarley at this point. Its a pretty good stove too, though, its taken a beating in its day. But yes, I have worried.

Re: Canning Chicken Breast
 

I usually get my AA up to speed then turn down the fire till i get about 5 or 6 jiggles per minute, that seems to keep it at a pretty consistent pressure.

The Metal To Metal seal is great, but dont forget to use a lil smear of Vaseline every once in a while on both the canner and the lid. Heck, Ive even been know to use some stuff called "bag Balm" instead of Vaseline LOL

Re: Canning Chicken Breast
 

This is just me, and I'm no expert, but I wouldn't mess around with the pressure. Put it on the "10" hole. The instruction manual says that the pressure gauge is just a guide, so don't worry about it if it's not at the exact pressure you selected on the weight.

That said, when I use my pressure canner, I start gradually turning the temperature down on the stove top as soon as soon as the dial indicates the desired pressure. Once it's under pressure, it doesn't take much heat to keep it at that pressure/temperature.

Another thing I'm still learning is how tight is tight enough on the two-piece lids. I've never had any jars break, but I've had some broth seep out of some jars on one batch. There's gotta be an art to it...

Re: Canning Chicken Breast
 

Alright Shortty, Vasaline, Bag Balm...sounds like you're having a good Saturday night! :tongue_ma:


Thats the logic I've been using to. Book says do it, so I do it.

As far as how tight is tight enough, we just covered that somewhere in another thread the other day. Well, by we, I mean Tech guy and some other people :P

IIRC the consensus was tighten it as much as you can without acting like the hulk. A good hard twist till just before your hand starts to slip. Dont exert your self on it, but make sure its fairly tight.

I too have had jars open up and I think a little seepage can be expected. I followed the "pretty darn tight" method with my peppers yesterday and had outstanding results, little to no seepage. I tighten to "finger tight" and then gave it a bit more for good measure.