Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Canning Chicken Legs

Over the weekend I went to one of our local grocery stores to take advantage of a pork deal.  Took hubby with me so we could buy more as there was a limit on your purchase.  Well, the cashier must've been flirting with hubby (his words) because she told him that after 10 p.m. (It was around 11:00 p.m. at the time) the butchers put out their meat markdowns for the day.  Or maybe it was the fact that the only thing he was purchasing was a 10 lb. pack of pork and she thought since he's obviously a meat man he could use a little variety in his life.

Either way we went back to check it out and besides the pork deal ($1.29/lb. packs) we bought 5 - 3.5 lb. packages of drumsticks for $1.99/pkg.  Yep, $9.95 for 17.5 lbs. of chicken. Love it!  It was too bad there weren't any thigh packs.  We would've bought all of them too.  Canning chicken thighs is even easier than canning legs.

Yesterday I decided I would go ahead and can all those legs so that we'd have some chicken ready to go down the road for chicken noodle soup, enchiladas, chicken salad sandwiches or whatever we felt like.  And our upright freezer is starting to get a little crowded.   Hubby is still hoping to bag another deer before the season is over, so really I should make some room.




Happy day all seven quarts sealed!

Details:
Used 4 - 3.5 lb. pkgs of chicken legs for 7 qts.
Directions in the Ball Blue Book pg. 61.
  • Raw packed legs--I only removed the skin.
  • 1 tsp. salt per quart jar.
  • Hot water in jar leaving 1" head space.
  • Remove air bubbles and adjust lid.
  • Pressure can 1 hr. 15 min.at 10# pressure for bone-in chicken in qts. or 1 hr. 5 min. for pints.  Adjust pressure for altitude as needed.  Boneless chicken is 1 hr. 30 min. for qts. or 1 hr. 15 min. for pints.
NOTE: If you need more detailed directions you can check out the Ball Blue Book or google "canning chicken."  I found a couple blog posts with step by step pics.
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6 comments:

  1. Ann Marie @ 16 Muddy FeetNovember 6, 2012 at 1:49 PM

    Just one question, do these sit on a shelf, or do they get refrigeration now that they are canned? Grew up with canning, but it was all veggies. Never heard of canning meat before.

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    Replies
    1. RenaeNovember 6, 2012 at 7:56 PM

      They just sit on a pantry shelf.

      You just want to make sure they've sealed well. After 24 hrs. I take off the ring and try lifting the lid/flat with my thumb. If you can get it off then it obviously hasn't sealed. When that happens you can put it in the fridge or freezer until you're ready to use it.

      Delete
  2. PattyNovember 14, 2012 at 9:12 AM

    Your chicken looks wonderful. About how many legs fit into one jar? Why are thighs easier? Do you get more of them in one jar?

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    Replies
    1. RenaeNovember 14, 2012 at 11:38 AM

      Thighs are easier because I think the skin pulls off more easily and they also fit in the jars easier than trying to figure out the odd shape of legs.

      I didn't count while doing it but went back and counted--it appears that you can get 7-8 legs per jar.

      I have a note in my Ball Blue Book that last time I canned thigh I got 6 per jar. Of course, that would also depend on how big they actually are.

      Delete
    2. PattyNovember 15, 2012 at 7:34 AM

      I really love canning and would love to give canning meat a try. Here lately I have found a lot of bargain prices on meat so the next time I come across chicken, canning it will be on the top of my list.

      Delete
  3. UnknownNovember 27, 2012 at 3:53 PM

    I didn't know you could can chicken thighs! I've canned venison but that's the only meat. Thanks for sharing.

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