Storage: 12 months+
Yield: 32 cups (16 x 500ml/pint jars)
There is nothing better than heating and eating jars of delicious homemade chicken and corn soup during the cold weather. Pressure canning instead of freezing ensures you can enjoy this soup all year long! Serve hot with toasted sourdough and sprinkled with chives from the garden. Enjoy!
INGREDIENTS:
6 cups cooked chicken (diced or shredded)
8 cups corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
2 cups diced onion
32 cups chicken stock (or chicken broth)
Pepper (optional)
Salt (optional)
METHOD:
1. Sterilise equipment.
2. Boil jars for 10 minutes in a pot of water to pre-heat while you prepare the recipe. Start the 10 minute timer once the water inside the pot is boiling steadily. Once the 10 minutes is up, turn the heat off but keep the jars inside the pot until you're ready to fill the hot jars with the hot soup.
3. Place a canning rack inside the pressure canner. Fill the pressure canner with 5cm (2 inches) of water. Place pressure canner onto heat and bring water to a boil.
4. Warm up the lids by placing into a heat-proof bowl of boiling water (not over heat) and wait 5-10 minutes while you fill the jars with hot soup.
5. Simmer raw chicken in some chicken stock until tender. Cool to touch, then shred or dice.
6. Wash corn cobs and discard stalks and husks. Cut kernels from cobs. Place kernels and diced onion in a pan with 2 cups of the chicken stock. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
7. Place all ingredients in a large pan and bring to a boil. Boil gently for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste (optional).
8. Remove hot jars from the water and place upright onto a towel-covered surface or wooden cutting board.
9. Fill hot jars third to halfway with the cooked chicken and corn kernels. Ladle hot stock into the jars to 2.5cm (1 inch) from the rim.
10. Remove air bubbles from the jars using a bubble remover tool or a wooden chopstick. Do not use a metal utensil. Add extra liquid if the headspace is not correct.
11. Wipe jar rims using a damp paper towel (with a little vinegar if rims are sticky).
12. Add lids onto jars and tighten to fingertip tight i.e. twist on firmly. Use a towel to hold the jars while you tighten the lids/bands as the jars will be hot.
13. Lower the sealed jars carefully into the pressure canner (on top of the rack) in a single layer. The water level will rise slightly as the jars are added. Add a second rack if you are going to double stack in the pressure canner to stop the jars bouncing on top of one another.
14. Close the pressure canner by locking down the lid but leave the weight off for now. Heat the pressure canner on high until white steam is in a constant, steady stream out of the top of the canner lid and allow to steam (vent) for 10 minutes. Then place the weight onto the vent port (next to the pressure gauge). Closing the vent port allows the pressure to build, which will take around 5 minutes. The lid lock (if your pressure canner has one) will spin around and may release a little water before pushing itself upright.
15. Process jars of soup as stated in the following charts, beginning the timer once the listed pressure is reached (either by reading the dial gauge or listening for the weights to “rock” steadily if you have a weighted gauge canner). The pressure level you will use depends on your altitude: the higher the altitude, the higher the pressure required. If the pressure rises higher than you require (the weights rock too much), lower the temperature. Or if the pressure drops slightly (weights slow down rocking or show a drop in pressure on the gauge) increase the temperature. Keep the pressure constant for the time listed in the recipe – if the pressure drops low you need to restart processing from the beginning.
16. Turn off the heat once the time is up, and allow the pressure canner to return to zero pressure. Do not move canner or try to open the lid or remove the weight: just turn off the heat and walk away - return once the pressure is reading zero. NOTE: Do not force vent. Force venting (or opening the vent port) to remove pressure quicker can warp the canner lid and also “reverse vacuum” the liquid in the jars – force the liquid out of the jars. Once the pressure canner has cooled down and de-pressurised, remove the weights and wait 5 minutes before opening the canner lid. Leave the jars inside the open canner for a further 5 minutes to adjust before removing with a jar lifter (careful: the sides of the pressure canner will be very hot!).
17. Allow the jars to cool overnight on a towel-covered surface before removing bands from mason jars, labelling and dating and storing.
18. Maintenance: dial gauges need to be tested every 12 months (i.e. April 1). Replace any damaged parts of your pressure canner before use. The rubber gasket inside the lid may crack, wear down or bind to the lid: if any of this occurs replace before use.
Always follow a recommended recipe when pressure canning to ensure it is safe for shelf storage and label then store jars safely. Foods sealed via pressure canning will keep for 12 months or more in a dark, dry, cool place (like your pantry) and are heated for until very hot before serving, and refrigerated once opened.
Processing Chicken & Corn Soup in a Dial-Gauge Pressure Canner
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Canner
Pressure (PSI) at Altitudes
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Packing
Style
|
Jar Size
|
Processing
Time
|
0-2000 feet
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1001-3000 feet
|
3001-6000 feet
|
6000+ feet
|
Hot Pack
|
≤ 500ml (Pints)
|
75 minutes
|
11 pounds
|
12 pounds
|
13 pounds
|
14 pounds
|
≤ 1000ml (Quarts)
|
90 minutes
|
11 pounds
|
12 pounds
|
13 pounds
|
14 pounds
|
|
Processing Chicken & Corn Soup in a Weighted-Gauge Pressure Canner
|
||||||
Canner
Pressure (PSI) at Altitudes
|
||||||
Packing
Style
|
Jar Size
|
Processing
Time
|
0-1000 feet
|
1001+ feet
|
||
Hot Pack
|
≤ 500ml (Pints)
|
75 minutes
|
10 pounds
|
15 pounds
|
||
≤ 1000ml (Quarts)
|
90 minutes
|
10 pounds
|
15 pounds
|
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