Canning Chicken

I am not a domesticated woman nor do I ever care to be. I do care for convenience in this ever busy world I live in. As much as I would like to not be busy, I am. 

I am always looking for ways to make life easier and I am not afraid to work. 

Meal time is a challenge for me. Actually food is a challenge for me. I wish we didn't have to eat. I eat because I am hungry. If I wasn't hungry I would probably wither away because I would never eat. And when I eat, it has to taste good or I would rather go hungry.

Even though I would choose hunger over yucky food, my children do not feel the same. I have to feed them. I can't let them starve. 

So how do I feed them good food without all the work day in and day out?

I learned to can chicken.

So much more convenient and it is good. It doesn't taste like the cans of chicken you buy that you aren't sure if it is chicken or tuna.

I bought a pressure canner because I was sure I would continue this. And you know what? I loved the results. This is seriously the best invention ever. I have no idea why everyone doesn't do it!

It is simple. Gather and wash your jars.

Put the chicken in the jars. Yes, raw chicken. I bought 160 pounds this time round because if I am going to can chicken, I want to get it done so I don't have to do it for a long time again.

Add 1 tsp salt (double check this), wipe the rims clean, add lids, screw on bands. Place jars in pressure cooker. The pints can be double stacked. 

I borrowed a pressure canner to make things go faster since I was processing so much.

Let the chicken cook at 10 pounds of pressure for 60-90 minutes (depends on the jar size how long it cooks). And then let the pressure come off all by itself. When all the pressure is gone, take the jars out and let them sit on the counter 24 hours until cooled. Make sure all the jars have sealed by touching the tops of the lids to see if there is any give. If it is solid, it is sealed.

So what do you do with the chicken after it is all canned? You open the can, drain the juice, and the chicken falls apart. It is like the chicken cooked in a crock pot for hours. You add it to anything. I used it instead of ground beef and made tacos. So good. I use it in taquitos. Chicken enchiladas  Hawaiian haystacks  Chicken salad sandwiches. Bar-b-q sandwiches. Chicken noodle soup. It can be used anywhere that you need shredded or cooked chicken. About the only thing you can't use it for is grilling. It makes such simple meals.

And I have 160 pounds of canned chicken. I wonder how long it will last?