Chicken Stew

     This is a versatile recipe. You can make the contents into chicken pot pies, serve over rice or add a bit more chicken broth upon heating and eat as a soup.  When you make this recipe, you'll also get some chicken broth that you can freeze or can later. I found I get 3 pints of broth for canning after recipe is complete.  Enjoy! Diane 

Chicken Stew for Pressure Canning 

Ingredients:
for STEW:
1 large stewing chicken, rendering about 4 lbs. cooked chicken 
7 Cups chicken stock, from stewing the chicken
2 Tablespoons organic "chicken better then bullion", optional
2 Quarts diced tomatoes, drained
3 large potatoes, peeled and cubed about 1/2"
2 Cups onion, chopped
3 Cups carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2" rounds
1 Cup celery, chopped
2 Cups Great Northern beans, drained
1 Pint sweet corn, drained
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
​1/2 teaspoon dried parsley 
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons dried minced garlic 

for COOKING CHICKEN: 
1 large stockpot
water to cover chicken
2 carrots, snapped in two 
1 celery rib, snapped in two
1 bay leaf
10 peppercorns
1 teaspoon each dried: thyme, parsley, rosemary, salt

Directions: 

   Place chicken in a large stock pot and add enough water to cover. To stockpot, add the ingredients listed above under COOKING CHICKEN.  Cover pot and bring to a boil.  Lower to a simmer and let the chicken cook at a low simmer for a minimum of 2 hours.  Remove chicken to a platter to cool.  Skim fat off broth, add 7 cups of the broth to large stockpot.  I use my fat separator to run the broth through, because there will be on average of 3 pints leftover broth that you can can or freeze.  Remove skin from cooked chicken and chop chicken meat into large bite sized pieces.  Add all the vegetables and seasonings from STEW section above to the stockpot with broth and bring to a boil, lowering to simmer 15 minutes.  Add in chicken and let simmer for a final 5 minutes, checking the taste for any additional salt or pepper preferred.  

   Pack clean quarts with the hot stew to 1" headspace.  I fill each quart with two giant scoops of stew then go back and top off with two giant scoops of the liquid from the stew.  Process Quarts 90minutes at 10 pounds, adjusting psi for your altitude.  

Yield: 6 Quarts 

Recipe: Adapted from "The Amish Canning Cookbook" Georgia Varozza