Ladies and gentlemen, my canning season has commenced. I look forward to this time of year probably as much as a child looks forward to Christmas morning. I wish I had the time throughout the year to can, but I’m lucky if I can get one or two sessions in during the warmer months so when the Holy Trilogy of months rolls around, I’m ready to go. November, December and January are what I consider to be the Holy Trilogy on the calendar and here’s why:
- November starts my canning season and marks the beginning of a lot of family time traditions including a family filled Thanksgiving and ending with the traditional Black Friday shopping my daughter and I partake in every year faithfully. I am also carefully curating the design of my home for the upcoming holiday, which is my absolute favorite. Planning and crafting the perfect Old Fashioned Family Christmas in my handmade home complete with carefully considered decorations is something I take pride in. Every November 25th without fail my husband is lugging down the boxes and boxes, or should I more accurately say totes and more totes of Christmas decorations I have for inside and outside of my home.
- December I’m still canning but I’ve slowed because I’m also decorating my home to perfection for my favorite holiday. I’m baking goodies to enjoy and to share all month with our friends and our family. There are snowfalls, days spent outside sledding and warm, homemade hot chocolates. Every day in December the delicious scents coming from my kitchen are almost unbearable to the passersby’s. Christmas Eve is always open house here in our home and friends and family are a constant stream coming and going throughout the afternoon and evening. My kitchen is filled with finger food delectables to enjoy with a glass of spirits of their choice and all the grandbabies in their traditional matching Christmas pajamas are running around with the most magical looks in their eyes because Santa Clause will be here tonight! Does it get much better than that? Well… sort of….
- January is what we like to call Canuary! And during Canuary I challenge myself to put up as much as possible, and I like to have choices. I like a wide variety of our family’s staples such as potatoes, green beans, carrots and balsamic Brussel sprouts on our shelves. Apple pie filling is our desert staple because we can use it in so many different ways. We aren’t a traditional kind of pie family. but we do enjoy hand pies or even over buttered honey biscuits with or without a dallop of homemade whipped topping. And then we also have our meals in a jar. Those ready to go meals are not only economic when the ingredients are purchased in bulk or on sale but also so easy to get on the table on those crazy, hectic nights when you barely have time to think.
I realize we are still in October, but I unexpectedly found myself with the ability to begin my canning season a little early, and I’m so very grateful for this opportunity to do so. If you know me or you watch my YouTube channel, then you know I’m a bit extra in all that I do. Of course, that aspect of my personality spills over into my canning chronicles and what my pantry looks like. You can totally be extra or bougee when canning. Why just make it basic when you can make it better? Don’t just can up beef stew, can up Boeuf Bourguignon or steak Diane. Take those jars to the next level! One of my family’s favorites is creamy chicken pot pie. Instead of thickening the pot pie up when I’m ready to open a jar and serve it, I discovered a way to add the creaminess right inside the jars and it’s all completely safe.
During your canning journey, you may or may not have used or heard of a product called Clear Jel. This wonderful container of a substance that remarkably looks and feels exactly like cornstarch but isn’t, is mainly used for pie fillings, to thicken them up safely for canning. Since it’s safe for canning apple pie, I decided to try it in my jar meals and wouldn’t you know it, it worked like a charm. So below is the printable version of a basic recipe tweaked in my kitchen to suit my tastes and completely safe. This pot pie is so flavorful it’ll quickly become a family favorite or you as well. If you’d like to watch me step by step, make this delicious recipe, you can do so on my YouTube channel by clicking HERE.
She’s In Her Element
[recipe title = "Canning Creamy Chicken Pot Pie" recipe servings = "Yields 9 Quarts or 16 Pints" recipe Prep and Cook time = "2 hours" difficulty = "Beginner"]
[recipe]
Notes
Ingredients
- 8 cups Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, About 10 breasts
- 2 c. Chopped Celery, About 1/4″ Thick
- 1 c. Onions, Chopped into 1/2″ Pieces
- 1/4 c. Unsalted Butter
- 4c. Carrots Chopped 1/4″ Thick *You can use frozen. If you do, do not thaw
- 2 c. Frozen Corn *You can use fresh corn if it’s in season
- 2 C. Potatoes Diced into 1 1/2″ – 2″ Cubes
- 1 Tbsp. Redmonds Real Salt *You can use Sea Salt
- 2 Tbsp. Black Pepper
- 2 Tbsp. Thyme
- 2 Tbsp. Garlic Powder
- 1 1/3c. Clear Jel *Create a slurry using water or a little of the broth
Stove Top Directions
Start by putting about 12 cups of water in a large stockpot. Add chicken breasts adjusting water if need be. Boil chicken for 25 minutes. Remove chicken from the stockpot when done reserving the broth and place the cooked chicken in a strainer in the sink. Use hot water to rinse the chicken breasts removing the white residue on them from boiling. I like to add 5 tsp. Better Than Bouillion to my broth. It adds a richer flavor. Chop up the chicken once cooled.
In a large stockpot, add the combine the butter, celery and onions and cook until the onions are translucent, and the celery is a bit softer, about 10-12 minutes. Next add the carrots, potatoes, corn, chicken, salt and pepper, thyme and garlic powder and 10 cups of water. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil adding more broth is needed. Mixture should be a soup consistency. Once boiling, add the Clear Jel slurry and whisk. Keep whisking as it thickens (about 5 minutes) and then remove from the heat. It’s now ready to go into your prepared jars.
Preparing your Jars, Lids and Rings
Wash your jars, lids and rings in hot, soapy water. Set aside to dry. The USDA has stated that any canning procedure that processes longer than 10 minutes does not have to be sterilized. You can if you want to, but it is not necessary. It’s important to remember that your jar temperature must be the same as the temperature of the contents going in to avoid the glass bursting. We will be hot packing our jars, so I like to add very hot water to each jar and leave it in there until I’m ready to add the ingredients. It keeps the jars nice and hot, and I do not have to worry about them. When I am ready to pack the jars, I just dump the water out.
Filling Jars and Processing
Fill your jars using a jar funnel. leave a 1″ headspace and de-bubble. readjust the contents to 1″ headspace if needed. Wipe the tops of the rims and the rings around the jars with white vinegar to remove any food particles that might be on there. Tighten the rings down finger tight. Do not crank them closed. The air inside must be able to escape so the jars can seal.
Place the hot jars in a preheated pressure canner. Process quarts for 90 minutes at your specified PSI and pints for 75 minutes at your specified PSI.
Let the jars cool overnight and check the seal in the morning. Remove the rings, label the jars and store. Use any jars that did not seal. Keep them in the fridge for up to 5 days.