Love in the Kitchen - making fast, healthy, homegrown meals you'll enjoy

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Chicken Soup for the Pressure Canner



We got a pressure canner for Christmas.  I've been wanting one since I first started canning and added one to my Amazon Wish List when I was thinking how great it would be if I could can some of my French Onion soup so we could have some any time.

I have a pressure cooker (and I love it) but it doesn't have a pressure regulator, and it isn't quite big enough to can more than a couple of jars at a time.  So I was really excited about our Christmas present!   The first thing we made?  Chicken Soup!  Because there is nothing that warms up a cold winter day as well as a steaming bowl of chicken noodle soup.  Here's how we did it:




Chicken Soup for the Pressure Cooker


Ingredients:

  • 16 cups chicken stock
  • 3 cups diced chicken (about 1 3-lb chicken)
  • 2-1/2 cups sliced carrots (about 4 medium)
  • 1-1/2 cups diced onion (about 2 medium)
  • Salt, optional
  • Pepper, optional
  • 4 (32 oz) quart or 8 (16 oz) pint glass preserving jars with lids and bands







Directions:

  1. Prepare pressure canner. Heat jars and lids in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Set bands aside.
  2. Combine chicken stock, chicken, celery, carrots and onion in a large saucepot. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, if desired. Add bouillon cubes, if desired. Cook until bouillon cubes are dissolved.
  3. LADLE hot soup into hot jars leaving 1 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe rim. Center hot lid on jar. Apply band and adjust until fit is fingertip tight.
  4. PROCESS filled jars in a pressure canner at 10 pounds pressure 1 hour and 15 minutes for pints and 1 hour and 30 minutes for quarts, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.






Serve this with pasta or rice (add cooked pasta or rice when heating) or additional vegetables.



We had what didn't fit in the jars for dinner last night.  Delicious!  I used homemade chicken broth for this, which I think makes all the difference.

This was actually quite easy to make.  It took quite a long time to cook as I didn't have a good gauge on how long it would take to get up to 10 pounds of pressure.  Or how long it would take to reduce the pressure such that I could remove the jars from the canner.  I think it's worth it though - I've got jars of tasty chicken soup on my shelf for a rainy day!

Have you ever used a pressure canner or a pressure cooker?



Zentmrs
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