Pressure-Canned Chicken

This is how I raw-pack chicken and pressure-can it in my 12-quart Presto digital canner. It is how I do this at home, not a full safety class. Before you can poultry, follow current USDA and Presto guidance for your jars and your altitude.

I use boneless free-range organic chicken breast — thighs work too, as long as there is no bone in the meat. I cut it into roughly one-inch cubes. For this load I used 8-ounce wide-mouth half-pint mason jars, the shorter ones, so I can stack them. In this canner I fit 14 jars stacked, 7 and 7, not the 20 I first hoped would fit.

I pack the chicken with about an inch of headspace. I like to pack it quite a bit, and sometimes I leave a little less than an inch; the chicken shrinks, and it has sealed fine for me. I add a quarter teaspoon of salt in every jar and no liquid, because the salt draws out the juices and the canning renders them down. You can add water to fully cover the chicken if you prefer. I wipe each rim with a paper towel dampened with a little distilled white vinegar, then put the lids on finger-tight — barely finger-tight, not overly tight. I fill this canner right at the line on this model.

I stack the half-pints, offsetting the center jar on the second layer so it is not sitting directly on a lid. On the pressure-can cycle I set it for 75 minutes. Typically for pint jars it is 75 minutes, and because I was stacking half-pints I still do the full 75 minutes — I would rather it be a little longer than a little shorter. After it vents, I put the regulator on and wait. The 75 minutes plus a similar cool-down is about two and a half hours, maybe three, from beginning to end, and most of that is hands-off.

When it is done, I take the jars out and let them sit until they seal. I have heard the pings, and one batch had all sealed in maybe 10 minutes, if that. Let them cool before you store them. I store them without the rings once they are sealed. Do not put cold leftover jars into a still-hot canner — that can crack the glass.

We use these for chicken salad — mayo and salt, sometimes lime and cilantro, or apples, walnuts, and celery — and for tacos, soups, and chicken tortilla soup. The ingredients in the jars are gluten-free: just chicken and salt.

Set Apart Kitchen · Main Dishes

Pressure-Canned Chicken

This is how I raw-pack chicken in half-pint jars and pressure-can it in my 12-quart Presto digital canner — handy for salads, tacos, and soup.

Makes

This batch: 14 half-pint jars

Cook

75 min

Ingredients

This batch: 14 half-pint (8-oz) jars, stacked in a 12-quart Presto digital canner.

• Boneless chicken breast or thighs, cut into roughly 1-inch cubes (I used free-range organic chicken breast; I just make sure there is no bone in the meat)
• 8-ounce wide-mouth half-pint mason jars (I use the shorter wide-mouth jars so they can be stacked)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt in every jar
• A little distilled white vinegar, for wiping the rims (not added to the jars)
• Canning lids and rings, put on finger-tight
• Water in the canner, filled right at the line on this 12-quart Presto digital canner

Tap an ingredient to check it off as you go.

Instructions

1. Cut boneless chicken breast or thighs into roughly 1-inch cubes. Raw-pack the cubes into 8-ounce wide-mouth half-pint jars with about an inch of headspace. I sometimes pack a little tighter than an inch; the chicken shrinks.
2. Add 1/4 teaspoon of salt to every jar. I do not add liquid, because the salt draws out the juices. You can add water to fully cover the chicken if you prefer.
3. Wipe each rim with a paper towel dampened with a little distilled white vinegar. Put the lids on finger-tight — barely finger-tight, not overly tight.
4. Fill this 12-quart Presto digital canner right at the line on the model. Stack the half-pint jars (this load was 14 jars, 7 and 7). Offset the center jar on the second layer so it is not sitting directly on a lid.
5. Run the pressure-can cycle for 75 minutes. Typically for pint jars it is 75 minutes, and because I was stacking half-pints I still do the full 75 minutes. After it vents, put the regulator on and wait. The 75 minutes plus a similar cool-down is about two and a half hours, maybe three, from beginning to end, mostly hands-off.
6. When it is done, remove the jars and let them sit until they seal, then let them cool before storing. I store them without the rings once they are sealed. Do not put cold leftover jars into a still-hot canner.

Tip. This is how I do it in my Presto digital canner, not a full safety class. Follow current USDA and Presto guidance for poultry, and for your altitude.

Recipe by Sebastian Waite · Set Apart Health · setaparthealth.com Made it? Tag us @setaparthealth

Step-by-Step Photos