# Canning question



## Freyadog (Jan 27, 2010)

I am getting ready to can a chicken dish minus the pasta and sour cream. 

This dish is pretty much chicken and tomato soup and tomato paste. It is real real thick. The tomato is stuck to the chicken. It is not moist at all(i.e. food is not sitting in any liquid). The sourcream when added makes it creamy.

OK now to the question. Since this dish is so thick should I add a couple of tb. spoon fulls of water to the quart jars before canning. I am trying to visualize what it would be like coming out of the canner with no added liquid. 

Or would it be ok just to can it as it is? Have never canned anything real thick like this before so really need some input. thanks.


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## camo2460 (Feb 10, 2013)

I think that if it was that thick I would add a little water or maybe chicken broth. That being said, is this dish intended as a soup or is it intended to be thick to put over rice or noodles?


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## Freyadog (Jan 27, 2010)

It is thinned with sour cream and shell noodles added. It is suppose to be thick but the sour cream does thin it out some so it won't be in a huge clump in your plate. No where near being soupy. The finished product is moderately thick and creamy. You eat it with a fork.


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## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

I would err on the side of caution and add some water. I made a batch of chilie last week that was really thick. You could still spoon it and it would flatten out on the spoon. It turned out like paste, really, really thick. Now it piles on the spoon, I have to dilute each can. From now on I'm making it more like a soup because it thickened so much.


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Need ta thin it outa bit fer better heat distribution IMHO. Yall could always thicken it back up after ya open if need be.


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

*Thin it out or*

If it were me, I would just can the chicken as usual and can the tomatoes separately.


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