Canning Chicken (thinning the hen herd)

I've been busy canning a lot of stuff lately, it's just that time of the year for me.
I thin my chicken herd down before winter and can the meat and broth.

I clean the birds and soak them in ice water overnight.
Then place the cleaned birds in a big pot, cover with water and add onions, garlic, celery, thyme, basil, bay leaves, pepper corns and a bit of kosher salt.

When the meat is almost tender, I let it cool enough to handle and strain the broth...






















I fill hot jars with the hot chicken meat, then top with the hot broth. Leaving 1" of headspace. Wipe the jars tops to remove any broth, then screw the hot lids on.












My canner calls for 3 quarts of water in the bottom.




The loaded canner... (I wish it held more jars at one time. lol )




Adjusting the pressure.

The chicken is canned at 12lbs of pressure for 90 minutes. This is different for everyone depending on your altitude.... you need to check for your area. :)










I have it figured out that the ratio of half chicken meat and half broth works out great for me. I can get at least two meals from each jar. I heat the chicken and broth, make a batch of noodles or rice to throw in. It's an easy winter meal for me. :)
From these 4 birds I should get at least 24 meals.