This week we butchered the last of our first batch of chickens. I started running out of room in the freezer for them and so decided to pre-cook some of them. I put 3.5 or so (about 15 pounds) of chicken in my roaster with some water and cooked them all night slowly. This way they were done by morning. I removed them from the broth and added three more raw chickens to the roaster and started cooking them. I separated the drumsticks, the skin and bones which left me with about five pounds of boneless cooked meat. I repeated the plan with the rest of the chicken that evening.
As I am sadly out of freezer space, I was inspired to can that super strong broth. I ended up with about 8 pints canned in the pressure cooker, bought at a thrift store for just such an occasion last year. I have canned chicken before but frankly I just don't like the taste/texture of canned meat, even from the store. So I squeezed out a bit of space for the 10 1lb packages of cooked chicken I ended up with. I flattened them and removed the air so they all fit upright in a shoe box. Looks so organized...I may have to take a picture. :) The legs we will eat this week for dinner.
With the next batch of chickens I am going to try canning a single thighs in a pint jar with the double strength broth. I did it a couple of years ago and it was so easy. The final product ended up as convenient and tasty as name brand chicken noodle soup. I put a raw chicken thigh, with skin and bones, in a pint jar, add broth (made from the necks, feet, etc that you don't want to bother freezing) and salt. Process 90 minutes. To use I heat in a pan and add a jar full of water, ( just like store bought), remove bones and skin, it falls right off. Add a handful of noodles and cook until noodles are done. Taste was so similar to the $1 or more a can name brand chicken noodle.
But even if you don't raise chickens you can make this. Leg quarters are often the least expensive chicken to buy per pound. Look for marked down 10lb bags. Break the leg off and cut through- poultry shears are helpful. Make an oven fried meal out of the drumsticks or freeze in meal sized portions for later. Can the thighs as above.
Broth or "chicken stock" can be made from any skin, bones and fat, raw or cooked. A picked over rotissere chicken from the deli makes a good broth, boiled in water to cover or simply left in the crockpot all day or all night. Season to taste and add stock vegetables of your choice if you have them in the fridge. Boiling the carcass from a rotissere chicken for stock is a good way to get one more meal or add gourmet "umpf" to your next meal for free from something most people toss in the garbage.
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