Chicken on the shelf
I've canned a lot of things over the years. Tomatoes, broth, green beans, fruit. But I haven't canned chicken yet — and this is the year I'm changing that.
Two things pushed me to finally commit to it. First, freezer space. We're raising more broilers this year, and we normally freeze three lamb, a half beef and one or two deer, as well as multiple broilers plus some fruit and veggies each year. But a bigger draw? Convenience. The idea of having fully cooked, shelf-stable chicken sitting on a pantry shelf, ready to open and use in any recipe any night of the week, is genuinely appealing to me as someone who is also homeschooling three kids and managing more than one business. There are a lot of 5 pm moments in our house.
So I've been researching this process carefully, and I want to share what I've learned — both so it's useful to you and so I have a record of what I'm planning to do when our birds come in this season. I'll report back once I've actually done it.
FIRST: WHY BOTHER CANNING WHEN YOU CAN JUST FREEZE?
Freezing is easier and most people already know how to do it. But canning solves a problem freezing doesn't: space. Canned chicken lives on a pantry shelf. It doesn't take up freezer space. It doesn't need to be thawed. You can use it immediately, at room temperature, whenever you need it.
It also solves the "I forgot to thaw something" problem permanently. That alone sells me on it.
Canning is also a way to process a large quantity of chicken at once and then essentially be done with it for the year. A morning of canning can put 20 or 30 jars on your shelf. That's a lot of weeknight dinners handled in advance.
WHAT YOU NEED
Home canning chicken requires a pressure canner. This is non-negotiable - chicken is a low-acid food, and low-acid foods must be processed in a pressure canner to reach the internal temperature needed to eliminate the risk of botulism. A water bath canner is not safe for meat. If you've canned tomatoes or jam, you've used a water bath canner — that's a different tool for a different category of food.
*Remember to check the seal on your pressure canner before you start this process!
If you don't own a pressure canner and you want to start canning meat, this is the investment to make. A quality canner lasts for decades.
Beyond the pressure canner you'll need: canning jars (quart or pint, wide-mouth is easier to pack with meat), new lids for each batch (rings can be reused, lids cannot), a jar lifter, a canning funnel, and a clean workspace.
RAW PACK VS. HOT PACK
There are two methods for getting chicken into jars. As with most things in life, there are pros and cons for both so pick what works for you!
Raw pack means you put raw, uncooked chicken pieces directly into the jar, add salt if you'd like (optional — it's for flavor, not preservation), and process immediately. The chicken cooks inside the jar during processing. This method is faster and is the one I'm planning to start with.
Hot pack means you partially cook the chicken first, then pack the cooked meat into jars with some of the cooking liquid and process. This lets you use broth in the jar instead of the water the chicken releases on its own, which adds flavor. It also lets you pack more meat per jar.
Both methods are safe when properly processed. Raw pack is simpler, which is why most people learning this process start there.
THE PROCESS, STEP BY STEP
Start with clean jars. Wash them in hot soapy water and keep them warm until you're ready to fill them — cold jars going into a hot canner can crack.
Step 1: Prep your chicken. Cut into pieces that fit your jars. Bone-in or boneless both work — boneless is easier to use later in recipes, but bone-in is faster now. Remove excess fat if you'd like, though some fat in the jar is fine. For raw pack, do not add water or liquid; the chicken will produce its own.
Step 2: Fill your jars. Pack the chicken pieces into warm jars, pressing down gently. Leave 1.25 inches of headspace at the top. This matters — too little headspace can prevent a proper seal. Add 1 teaspoon of salt per quart jar (or 1/2 teaspoon per pint) if desired.
Step 3: Remove air bubbles and wipe the rims. Run a thin spatula or clean knife around the inside of the jar to release any trapped air. Wipe each jar rim with a clean damp cloth. Any residue on the rim can prevent a seal from forming.
Step 4: Apply lids and rings. New lid on each jar, ring screwed to fingertip-tight. Not cranked down hard — just snug.
Step 5: Process in your pressure canner. Add water to your canner per your canner's manual (usually 2 to 3 inches). Load the jars, lock the lid, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and vent steam for 10 minutes before placing the weight or closing the petcock. Then bring to pressure.
Processing times at 10 pounds of pressure:
Pint jars: 75 minutes
Quart jars: 90 minutes
If you're above 2,000 feet in elevation, adjust to 15 pounds of pressure. Bonners Ferry sits around 1,750 feet, so most of us in this area are close to the adjustment threshold — worth checking your specific elevation before you start.
Step 6: Let the canner depressurize naturally. When processing time is complete, turn off the heat and leave the canner alone. Do not try to speed up depressurization by removing the weight or opening the vent. When the pressure gauge reads zero, wait an additional 10 minutes, then carefully remove the lid (tilt it away from you) and lift the jars out.
Step 7: Cool and check your seals. Set jars on a towel, spaced an inch or two apart. You'll hear them ping as the lids seal down. Let them cool undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours. Once cool, press the center of each lid — if it doesn't flex, it's sealed. Any unsealed jar goes straight to the refrigerator and gets used within a few days.
Label your jars with the date. Properly canned chicken keeps at room temperature for at least a year, up to 18 months for best quality.
HOW TO USE IT
Open the jar, drain or use the liquid (it's essentially broth), and your chicken is ready to go. Use it anywhere a recipe calls for cooked chicken:
Soup and chili
Tacos and enchiladas
Chicken salad, or Caesar salad with chicken, or Asian chicken salad….
Heat the chicken up and serve over cauliflower mash
Any casserole that calls for cooked chicken
A quart jar holds enough for a full meal for a family of four. A pint works well for a lighter dinner or a good lunch.
A NOTE ABOUT PASTURED CHICKEN SPECIFICALLY
From what I've read and the people I've talked to, pastured chicken handles the canning process better than commodity chicken. The muscle texture from a bird that's been outside and actually moving holds together more than factory-farmed meat tends to. And the fat profile — that yellow fat you'll notice on a truly pastured bird — comes from real pasture, real sunlight, and real food. That fat carries fat-soluble vitamins, and those don't disappear when you process the jar.
(I'm planning to do our first canning batch this season with birds from our own harvest. If you'd like to have enough birds on hand to make a full canning session worthwhile, just email me and we'll talk through quantities. A morning of canning can set you up with a year's worth of quick dinners.)
I'll post an update once our first batch is done. If you try it before I do, I want to hear how it went!