# Pressure canning chicken soup



## forfreedom (Dec 3, 2008)

I have an emergency of sorts... too many roosters running around. The problem is - no room in the freezers. So I thought, instead of freezing whole chickens, debone them and freeze the meat, which will take less space, and make a lot of chicken soup and can it.

I have never pressure canned anything, including soup. So, do I make the soup, which is your regular soup - stock, celery, carrots, onions and potatoes, and cook it completely before canning, or do you put vegetables into the cans raw? I could not find any recipes in the Recipes section, sorry if that has been asked before.


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## Canning Girl (Jan 13, 2010)

When I can chicken soup, I cook the chicken in stock and add celery, carrots, seasonings, etc. You do not have to completely cook the vegetables; they can be raw going in the jars because they are going to be processed at appropriate pressure for your elevation for 90 minutes. That will more than cook them. Just make sure that you do not add rice, noodles or any kind of thickener (flour, cornstarch, etc.) because those should not be canned. You can add those things at the time you serve the soup. Also, I believe that your jars should be about half liquid/half solids in order to be safe. I'm sure that the Ball Blue Book has a recipe or you can check out the uga website.

Or, you could just can the chicken in stock and use it later for soups, casseroles, pot pies, or whatever. It would be more versatile if it were just meat than if it is a soup.


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## Jakk (Aug 14, 2008)

I cook the chicken and stock by itself. I fill the jars about half way with raw carrots and celery then add the chicken and stock. When I am ready to use the soup, I throw in egg noodles. You cannot can with the noodles, you have to add them later.


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## SquashNut (Sep 25, 2005)

I can the meat in one jar and the veggies in another. the time it takes to can the meat makes the veggies too soft. 
Usually that means the mixed veggies would be canned for 40 minutes.


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## Our Little Farm (Apr 26, 2010)

I raw pack the meat alone, it can be then used in lots of different recipes.

This is a great site.
http://www.simplycanning.com/canning-chicken.html


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## forfreedom (Dec 3, 2008)

Thanks guys! Excellent link too, goes in my favorites!


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## TnAndy (Sep 15, 2005)

We cook the chicken, add raw veggies, AND uncooked noodles, then process 60min for pints.

Hey, if Campbells can add the noodles, so can I.


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## SquashNut (Sep 25, 2005)

TnAndy said:


> We cook the chicken, add raw veggies, AND uncooked noodles, then process 60min for pints.
> 
> Hey, if Campbells can add the noodles, so can I.


I don't think Campbells does it the same way we do. I wouldn't do it myself.


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## Vickie44 (Jul 27, 2010)

http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can_05/stock_broth.html

Judy Lou would be proud of me!


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## Our Little Farm (Apr 26, 2010)

When you make soup...do not add any dairy to make 'cream of' anything. There has not been a safe way found to home can it. 

Good for you for wanting to do this! :dance:


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## MichaelK! (Oct 22, 2010)

I completely debone the chicken, then brown the bones in hot oil before making stock with them. I add carrots and other vegies while the stock is simmering. I keep the boneless chicken meat in the frig while the stock is simmering. After a few hours, I fish out all the bones, let cool, then glean off any remaining meat with my fingertips. The stripped meat gets added back to the stock.

Once I am ready to can, I raw pack the chicken meat into jars, cover with the concentrated stock, and pressure can according to my canner's instructions. This chicken mix comes out wonderful!


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## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

Home canning does all sorts of weird things to food. Yes, you can buy Store Soup with amazing variety. Try and get the same at home, and you'll need lots of experimenting to get there.

Try canning noodles, and you'll get mush.

I'd recommend canning only a jar or two, and see if you can live with the results... 

Guarantee success if you can the roos individually, by themselves. You can make soup later, or sandwiches, or tacos, enchiladas, or tamales. 

Of course, if your hardheaded like me, as long as it was safe, you'd eat it if it were glue stew. BTDT. I only can meat by itself nowadays.


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## TnAndy (Sep 15, 2005)

texican said:


> Try canning noodles, and you'll get mush.


Doesn't happen to us. 

We put the hard, uncooked noodles in with the rest of the veggies raw, the chicken being the only precooked part so it can be de-boned, and process pints for 60min. Comes out fine.

Maybe another 30 minutes for quarts would do that, can't say....all we ever can are pints for the 2 of us.


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## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

I've only canned meat alone, like some others. We butcher a rooster or two and I cook them off the bone and then can the meat. I can add veggies, spices and broth later.


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

Oops, double post. Didn't think the first one took.


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

I'm going to jump in and mention that pressure canning meat in pints, the recommended time is 75 minutes, and 90 minutes for quarts. Pressure canning mixed foods requires that you can for the time needed for the longest cooking food - usually meat or beans.
NO water bath canning or hot oven canning or anything else our grandparents might have done before we knew better, for low acid foods and meats. PRESSURE CANNING ONLY!!


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## ET1 SS (Oct 22, 2005)

We process nearly all of our poultry by canning.

In a 8-gallon stock pot we boil two chickens for maybe 4hours, then let it set overnight to cool. The meat will have fallen off the bones of the carcasses The bones can easily be lifted out.

We can the meat, and later we can the broth.

We do not add anything to the meat, nor to the broth. e find that pure poultry meat canned, is more valuable to us later. Since it is just meat it is more flexible in terms of what recipes you can put it into.


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## derm (Aug 6, 2009)

I canned up chicken soup when the chickens came from the farmer and the veggies were kicking in the garden in summer. I roasted the chix, pulled the meat and made broth that went into the fridge to defat overnight. Put the pulled chix with raw cut veggies into quarts, covered with hot broth and canned for 90 minutes. Came out great. Now with little fresh veggies coming in I am straight canning meat. Store turkeys on thanksgiving sale and some of the tougher cuts of beef from the side we got in fall. 

The soup is great and fast, I dont do noodles beforehand as it is not recommended, but put them in to cook after, or not and just heat and eat. 

The canned meat is great as it can be whaever you want it to be.


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## springvalley (Jun 23, 2009)

Ok, you can your meat for 90 minutes for quarts. How long do you cook your vegies to can them? Pressure or hot water bath? I think I'd rather do it separate from the meat so I can use the meat for many different purposes.


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## Canning Girl (Jan 13, 2010)

Veggies must be pressure canned because they are low acid foods. The time varies. Carrots take 25 minutes, beans take 20 minutes, potatoes take 40, etc. If you did mixed veggies, I would process for the vegetable that requires the longest time.


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