# Canning Chicken: Bone in or bone out? Need advice.



## kyredneck (Aug 12, 2012)

Chicken quarters are cheap and what I normally buy for chicken salad and soups, I like to load the crockpot to the brim 'skin, bones and all', and slow cook till meat easily leaves the bone; I also love the gelatinous broth the bones provide this way.

I've of the mind to raw pack these quarters (of course I'll have to separate legs from thighs) in largemouth qts 'skin, bones and all' and debone when comes time to use it.

I would appreciate feedback, advice, tips, anything anyone wants to share about canning chicken, please. I've never done it before.

How many thighs will fit in a quart jar? How many legs?

Thanks.


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

We are considering buying more chickens for food.But we don't know how we could feed more than the 5 we have.They are out in the day,but still need feed.
But if we did we would can them.Also I need to learn how to not get upset about killing them.I'm a hypocrit,I eat what others kill.


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## katen (Aug 25, 2012)

I debone mine cause I can get more in the jar that way. Im interested to hear thought from people that don't though, it sure would save me some time!


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## Moby76065 (Jul 31, 2012)

I'm a bit more lazy and justify it buy telling myself if I leave the bones in, in a SHTF situation I can use the bones to attrack animals and trap them. The truth be told I'll probably just throw them away of boil them to make soup. I always leave bones in on dark meat (I do remove skin) and debone white meat. I also hot pack all meats as it looks better for the teenage daughter and wife. It does not really change the rtaste either way. I ALWAYS remove skin so theirs far less fat.


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## kyredneck (Aug 12, 2012)

Meerkat said:


> We are considering buying more chickens for food.But we don't know how we could feed more than the 5 we have.They are out in the day,but still need feed.


You buying feed or growing your own? I've three big outside dogs that I don't believe they could resist 'free range chickens', or we would probably get a handful like you have.



> But if we did we would can them.Also I need to learn how to not get upset about killing them.I'm a hypocrit,I eat what others kill.


No, you're not a hypocrite, and it's perfectly normal to not want to kill your own critters, and there's nothing wrong with having someone else do the slaughtering.

Do you have a problem with doing your own butchering?

Years ago when I raised rabbits my brother would slaughter them for me and I would butcher them.

Years ago (man I'm gettin' old) the wife and I slaughtered some yellow buffs we had raised and dipped them in boiling water to help remove the feathers and neither of us were able to eat those chickens because of that awful smell that lingered and imbedded in our brains of chicken feathers dunked in hot water. Heehee, I guess we did something wrong.


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## kyredneck (Aug 12, 2012)

katen said:


> I debone mine cause I can get more in the jar that way. Im interested to hear thought from people that don't though, it sure would save me some time!


Well I'm not short on jars or storage space (yet), so I don't mind the space the bones require. Also, bones pack a lot of flavor, and the gelatin, oh my, I love all sorts of bone broths, and, after the bones are cooked I have no qualms about tossing them to the dogs.

Another thing I'm thinking is that more meat can be retreived from the bone after cooking than when it's raw, and easier too.

jmo


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## kyredneck (Aug 12, 2012)

Moby76065 said:


> I'm a bit more lazy and justify it buy telling myself if I leave the bones in, in a SHTF situation I can use the bones to attrack animals and trap them. The truth be told I'll probably just throw them away of boil them to make soup.


SOUP! Yea, make soup! Good soup too!



> I always leave bones in on dark meat (I do remove skin) and debone white meat.


Why dark meat and not white?



> I also hot pack all meats as it looks better for the teenage daughter and wife.


Teach me; why does hot pack look better than raw pack? I honestly don't know.



> It does not really change the rtaste either way. I ALWAYS remove skin so theirs far less fat.


Fat has lots of calories that would be at a premium in a shtf scenario, AND, they're finding out now that saturated animal fats have basically gotten a bad rap over the past few decades health wise and we actually need it.

AND FAT TASTES GOOD!!!


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

kyredneck said:


> You buying feed or growing your own? I've three big outside dogs that I don't believe they could resist 'free range chickens', or we would probably get a handful like you have.
> 
> No, you're not a hypocrite, and it's perfectly normal to not want to kill your own critters, and there's nothing wrong with having someone else do the slaughtering.
> 
> ...


 I cut up store bought chickens.I know if I got hungry enough I would,but it will be hard.:wave:


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

I always read about this so I can learn .Maybe if we order more chickens I can let him kill them.He knows how he was a hubnter as a child.And his famikly ate lots of wild food.


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## kyredneck (Aug 12, 2012)

How many thighs will fit in a quart jar? How many legs?

What's some of your all's favorite chicken recipes like chicken and rice or chicken soup etc.?

I'm wide open here for ideas, please.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

I've canned both ways, bone in and boned. I decided that I liked I liked it better cooked/boned but it does seem to have more flavor canned with the bone in.

When I would pack it raw with bones, I would take the dull side of my meat cleaver and break the knob ends of each long bone to ensure that it cooked all the way through, I'd had jars go bad before I started doing that. 

If I remember right, 3 legs and 3 thighs fit nicely into a quart jar.


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## kyredneck (Aug 12, 2012)

Well, I ended up w/ > 12 lbs split chicken breasts from Sav-a-lot @ .99 a lb (for this time around, I intend to eventually can some leg quarters)

I did choose to debone, cube and raw pack the meat; canned 5 qts chicken breast and 14 pts Carnitas (Mexican pulled pork), fermented about 2 1/2 gal of pickled corn relish (putting on a bean feed this coming Thursday):

[I slow cooked the bones & skins from the chicken breasts and used the broth in the Carnitas, dogs got the rest]


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## timmie (Jan 14, 2012)

i read somewhere that you can can the chicken fat and use it like bacon grease.any body tried this?


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

timmie said:


> i read somewhere that you can can the chicken fat and use it like bacon grease.any body tried this?


It just so happens, I started doing that when I would bake big batches of chicken to can. Its a good light fat that doesn't solidify(the top of the jar) at normal room temps. From 3 10 pound bags of leg quarters, I usually get a quart(2 pint jars) of fat.

I have used it to make "Chicken Gravy" and it comes out pretty good, a few tablespoons will flavor a full pan of gravy. Haven't "explored" much more than that but I have it on the shelf if the need ever arises.


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