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This cooks the chicken, makes broth, and preserves it all in one step! I use this in chicken soup and rice dishes – just open the jar, remove the bones and skin, and shred the meat.

Preparing to can

To prepare, gather your tools and food:

• Pressure canner (not steam canner or Instant Pot – it must get up to 10 or 11 lb of pressure)
• Quart mason jars, lids, and rings, enough to hold one leg and one thigh per jar (usually 6).
• Canning funnel
• Jar lifter
• Steaming-hot water
• Chicken legs and thighs (easiest if they are separated, but leg quarters will work)
• Salt and seasoning, if desired

Preheating the canner and jars

• Fill the canner with the amount of water recommended by the manufacturer (usually 3-4 quarts)
• Put the jars into the (cold) canner. Some of the canner water should go in the jars to keep them upright and help them heat faster.
• Turn the burner on and let the jars begin to heat.
• Heat a kettle or pot of fresh water – this will be used to fill your jars.
• You do NOT need to preheat the lids. Manufacturers changed the formula on the rubber seals in the 2010s and this step is no longer needed.

Filling the jars

• Use your jar lifter to remove one jar from the canner. Tilt the jar to drain any water back into the canner.
• Put the funnel in the jar and add salt, seasoning, one thigh, and one leg (skin, bones, and all). If you want more chicken and less broth per jar, you can pack in as much as will fit without touching the lid when you close it.
• Top up the jar with hot water from your kettle.
• Wipe the rim with a damp cloth.
• Put on lid and band.
• Set the jar back in the canner.
• Repeat with all jars.

Using the pressure canner

Canners differ just slightly in the details of how you use them, so SEE YOUR MANUFACTURER’S INSTRUCTIONS for info on how to use your model

The basic steps are:

• After loading the canner with your jars, lock the lid on.
• Wait for the steam to come out the vent in a steady stream, THEN start a timer for 10 minutes.
• After the steam has vented steadily for 10 minutes, put the weight or regulator on – or yours might have a locking mechanism that pops up.
• When it reaches 10 or 11 lb pressure (according to the gauge or the noise of the weight venting), start the main timer. This recipe – chicken with bones, in quart jars – needs 75 minutes of cook time.
• At the end of the cook time, remove the canner from the heat and let it depressurize completely – it will show zero pressure and/or the locking mechanism will go down (depending on the style of your canner). Do NOT rush this step in any way – it’s part of the cook time.
• Once it has completely depressurized, you can take off the weight (a tiny bit of steam will come out), open the lid, and remove the jars to a rack or towel to cool completely. They should seal within an hour; if not, put them in the fridge and use immediately.