This chicken is seriously the best chicken you will ever have as a shredded chicken. It is similar to, but so much better than rotisserie chicken. It is convenient for quick meals. I use this for nachos, wraps, pretty much any recipe that calls for shredded chicken. It is shelf stable, which seems weird, but it is. This is because of the science of the pressure canner.

This recipe was taught to me by my mom. She is the best when it comes to canning! She is my go-to for any canning questions. She is very good at teaching the proper techniques and following sterile processing procedures. Here is how to pressure can chicken like mom.

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Pressure canned chicken

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Servings 20 pints

Equipment

Pressure canner
Electric kettle
20 Pint jars (wide mouth)
20 Wide mouth lids
Small saucepan
Jar lifter
Bubble popper
2 Large mixing bowls

Ingredients

20 lbs Chicken breasts
2 Large onions
3 stalks Celery
20 Chicken boullion cubes
Salt
Water (boiling)

Instructions

Chicken prep

Start by chopping celery and onion into large pieces. Celery should be about an inch long and onion cut into eighths. Set aside.
Cut chicken breasts into about 4 chunks. You don't want small pieces, but too large is difficult to push into the jar.

Jar prep

Wash all the pint jars and rings in very hot soapy water. Rinse with hot water and allow to air dry on a clean towel.
Boil water in a small saucepan and place the lids in the pan to sterilize them.
Fill pressure canner with approximately 2 inches of water and turn on to get water ready for canning.

Filling the jars

In each jar, place 1-2 pieces of onion, 1 piece of celery and 1 bouillon cube.
Stuff chicken tightly into the jars. Each jar should have about one pound of chicken.
Measure a 1/4 teaspoon of salt into each jar.
Carefully pour hot water into the jars. Run the bubble popper through to remove any air bubbles and add water so that there is a half inch headspace.
Wipe rims of jars with a paper towel. Carefully remove lids from boiling water and place onto the jars. Screw on the bands only fingertip tight.

Pressure canning

Place jars into the boiling water in the pressure canner and tighten the lid.
Allow the canner to release steam for 10 minutes and then place the regulator on the canner.
Watch the pressure valve for the pressure to come up to 11 psi.
Once 11 psi is reached, begin timer for 75 minutes. Continue to monitor the pressure gauge. If the pressure goes above 11, turn down the heat a bit to bring the pressure down. If the pressure goes below 11, turn up the heat a bit to bring the pressure back up.
After 75 minutes, turn the heat off and allow the pressure to naturally come down to zero.
Remove the lid of the canner and carefully lift the jars out of the canner and allow to cool on a towel lined cutting board. The jars should pop as they cool but allow to sit on the counter overnight to ensure that they are sealed.
Wipe the outside of the jars and label with date.