9, Feb 2025
How to Can Chicken at Home
Canning chicken at home is easier than you think! In this guide, I’ll walk you through home canning chicken step by step, making the process simple and rewarding.
What a cool and beautiful Sunday morning! We got a couple of inches of snow yesterday—nice to look at as long as you’re indoors. 🙂 This kind of day is perfect for spending time in the kitchen. We recently bought a couple of ten-pound bags of chicken thighs on sale, and today, I’m canning one of them.
Canning is so satisfying—it’s healthier (no preservatives) and saves money. I learned how to can and cook from my grandmother and mother. I never took home economics in school because I had already been taught by the best!
I vividly remember a moment from third grade. Our teacher asked us to draw what we wanted to be when we grew up. I drew a housewife, just like my mom. To me, she was magical—she could do anything. She made wonderful meals from just a few ingredients, feeding our family of eight. Our home was always spotless, and she looked beautiful while doing it all (at least, that’s how I remember it—though I’m sure she’d tell me otherwise today!).
On top of everything, she made the boogeyman disappear. She also healed every “owie” with her magical kiss.
But I digress—back to canning!
Home Canning Chicken Step by Step Guide
Before we dive into home canning chicken step by step, let’s go over the basic supplies you’ll need. Follow these steps to ensure safe and successful canning:
Gather Your Supplies You’ll need: Wide-mouth jars (best for meat), Lids and rings,A funnel (to prevent spills), A jar lifter (for safely handling hot jars), and a pressure canner (essential for safely processing meat)
Next Prepare the Chicken
Wash and thaw the chicken thighs, leaving the skin on.
Place the chicken in a large pot, covering it completely with water.
Simmer until the meat is tender and just beginning to fall off the bone—don’t overcook, as it will process again in the canner.
Prepare the Jars and Lids
Wash the jars thoroughly, even if they were cleaned before, to remove dust or residue.
Heat the lids in a pot of water on the stove to soften the seals.
Next, you’ll be ready to pack the jars and begin the canning process!
Multi-Tasking While Canning: Making the Most of Kitchen Time
While the meat finished cooking, I started working on this week’s blog. Once the chicken was done, I removed it from the pot, saving the broth, and placed the meat in bowls to cool until it was warm to the touch. Then, I started a load of laundry and wrote a few more paragraphs before heading back to the kitchen.
After the chicken had cooled enough to handle, I removed the meat from the bones. The bones and fat went back into the pot with the broth—I wanted to extract every bit of meat and all that rich flavor. While the bones simmered for about twenty minutes, I switched the laundry to the dryer and reviewed my blog so far.
Next, I packed the cooked chicken into my clean jars, making sure to wipe the rims before sealing. Then, I strained the broth, removing all the bones and bits of meat. If a jar looked a little low, I added some of the extra meat before pouring in the hot stock. I placed a heated lid on each jar and screwed on a ring. With the remaining broth, I filled a few extra jars.
In the end, I had three quarts of canned chicken and two quarts of rich homemade stock in the pressure canner, ready to process. With 90 minutes of cook time ahead, I put the laundry away and finished writing my blog—making the most of my kitchen time!
Check out my other blog post on easy breakfast ideas. Try this instead of stopping at the local convenient store on your way to work.
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- By NICOLE
- February 9, 2025 20:27 PM