The run down on canning chicken

I am no pro, but I have been at this for a few years now and it has always worked.  I got my info from this lady, Wendy DeWitt.  You may have heard of her.  She's the pro on food storage and I can't get enough of her info.  She's so smart and straight forward.  The link I gave you is to her info on all things food storage.  Scroll down to Bottling Meat for detailed instructions on this process.  Here's a brief tutorial from the last time I canned chicken (just a few days ago).

My clean bottles.  They don't have to be sterilized.
And I love that I don't have to dry them after I wash them.

I cut up my chicken and filled the jars (1/2" from the rim), then added a 1/4 tsp of canning salt.
I use pint sized jars.  They hold about 1 pound of meat.  You can use quart sized jars also.  They hold 2 pounds and process 15 minutes longer.

This is the salt to use when canning.

Next I boil the lids for 2 minutes to soften the seals.

Using the magnetic tool on the left is great for getting the lids out without burning your fingers.
The tool on the right is used to take the jars out of the canner when they're done.

Taking the lids out and putting them on the jars.

Then add the rings and tighten them down.

Put about 3" of water in the canner and then add your jars.   I can fit 14 pint jars in my canner.

All canners are different, so make sure you read your instruction manual before you start.
Turn stove to high.  After the canner has shot steam out of the little valve for 10 minutes, put the weight on.

The pressure will begin to rise.

When the pressure reaches 10 pounds, turn the heat down to keep it at 10 pounds.  Begin your timer for 75 minutes.
You will be turning down the heat throughout the entire process, so don't leave your canner!
After 75 minutes you will be all the way down to low heat.  Turn off your stove.
Let the canner sit undisturbed while the pressure drops all the way back down to zero.
Now you can take the weight off.

Open the canner away from you, so the steam doesn't give you a facial, and take the jars out with that cool jar lifter outer I showed earlier.
I put mine on a dish towel on the counter top.  They will plink when they seal.  This happens soon after you take them out.  Make sure they all seal.
If they don't, refrigerate it and use it later, or redo the canning process for that jar, with a new lid.

That's it.  It really isn't hard, but it does take a good amount of dedicated time.  Do this when the kids are asleep or you have an extra set of hands to take care of them.  And of course, have something handy to do while you're sitting there waiting- a movie, book, craft, whatever.
Any questions?