Cannig Chicken Breasts

My husband found a really good deal at the store for seasoned boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Not only were they buy one get one free, they were also 50% off. So he bought A LOT. This made me happy because we had run out of canned chicken.

Preparation steps

First thing I did was put the chicken in the freezer. This makes it easier to cut up. Next I got 3doz. wide mouth pint jars out and put them in the dish washer to sterilize. Last was the task of checking my pressure canner out. I have not used it this season so I did a practice run of bring it up to pressure. I do this to make sure of course it comes up to pressure, but also to make sure there isn't any big leaks around the seals. Canner checked out, now to the daunting task of cutting up all that chicken.

Instructions

1. Remove any excess fat from the chicken breasts, then cut into chunks. (If you get done cutting up the chicken before your jars are ready put chicken in refrigerator.)

2. Warm lids per manufactures instructions.

3. To each warmed up pint jar add 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp chicken bouillon granules (this is  optional but it does make it tasty). If using quart jars add 1 tsp of each.

4. Loosely fill jars with chicken chunks, leaving 1 1/4 inch headspace for expansion during processing. Do not add any water or broth . The meat will form its own liquid as it cooks in the canner.

5. Put warm water in the canner per manufactures instructions. For raw packed foods, the water should only be about 140 degrees F.

6. Process times pints 75 minutes and quarts 90 minutes at 10 lbs. of pressure.
*Important Note- Depending on your altitude,you may need to process this at a higher pressure.

I end up with 25 pints of chicken. With tattler lids I can't write on the lids, so I use a dry ease maker to write on the jar.

Linked to:

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Homesteaders reuse and re-purpose

If you are a homesteader or striving for self-reliance or just plain frugal you reuse and re-purpose. I'm not always good about reusing or re-purposing everything but here are a few from around my home.

Chest

This is an old blanket chest or hope chest. I wasn't using it in the house, so I re-purposed it as a planter for my Lovage, Parsley, and Chives.

Used Bricks

We have a bunch of used red brick around the house. Among other things I like to use it in the garden for bed borders. 

Damaged Water Bath Canners

I pick these up usually in the free piles at garage sales. The small ones work great for growing peppers and the big ones are great for tomatoes. In my area I have to grow pepper and most tomatoes in my little greenhouse.

Grass Clippings

My favorite mulch is grass chippings. I have used it for many years in my garden and between rows. It is easy to come by and works well at keeping weeds at bay. Not to mention it adds nutrients to the soil.

Tattler Lids

This is a reusable item. With all the canning I do each year I love using these reusable tattler lids. I have used them for several years and had very good luck with them.

What are your favorite things to reuse or re-purposed?

Wide Mouth http://amzn.to/1Vak5S3

Regular Mouth
http://amzn.to/27C0kYA

                                         

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