Chicken

Canning

• I prefer to can the meat from legs and things after steam juicing (so not raw packed) and I add a bit of the de-fatted stock I get from steam juicing the chicken as well
• If the chicken meat is not totally covered in fluids that should not be a problem as to food safety, but the meat might be discolored and dry.
• Without a SJ I might try stewing the chicken until done, removing from the liquid, cooling and then removing the bones and skin which I would reserve for making stock. The liquid I would chill and defat then use to add liquid back to the jars of meat. The remainder of the de-fatted liquid I would add to the bones and skin, place in my roaster oven, add some aromatics and veggies to make a real stock.
• When I raw pack bone in chicken I always ad boiling broth (or sauce if I want meals in a jar) to the half way but not more than 2/3 mark of the jar. I find it allot better that way and definitely looks better. When I do bone in chicken breast I cut into big chunks not little 1" pieces. I find cutting them small produces a drier meat because the breast meat is less fatty to begin with. Leaving the pieces pretty chunky I find come out just like cooked chicken. If I need more sauce with the jar I pre brown the chicken so it is slightly cooked than add the sauce to about 1 1/2" from top.