A few years ago, one of my Montezuma group of friends was pregnant. Our group of friends got together to can soups to gift her so she would have some easy meals once the baby arrived. We also turned it into a soup swap. My friend, Kristy, made Cheesey Chicken Chowder. It was so good, and my children loved it!
A while back we were wanting it again, so I asked Kristy for the recipe. Somehow, I lost it, but I asked for it again just a few days ago. Since procrastination was the sneaky culprit which caused me to lose the recipe the first time, I went ahead and put in the little brain work and converted the recipe to be suitable for canning in the proportions I needed, and I wrote up the directions to make the chowder once the base has been canned. To make sure I can always get to the recipe, I am sharing it with you here!
This recipe takes some time, but it is very easy.
The first step was to cook a family size pack of chicken breasts. I put mine in a large stock pot, season the meat well with sea salt, black pepper, seasoning salt, several shakes of soy sauce, several shakes of Worcestershire sauce, and 1/8-1/4 teaspoon of turmeric.
Cover the meat with water and let it boil until done.
Once the chicken was on the stove, I began to prepare all the vegetables. I especially wanted to do the potatoes first so that they would have time to soak and release a lot of their starch to prevent the canned soup from being cloudy. I made small dices because thatst what I like best in my chowder.
I put them in water as I diced to prevent Browning and put them in the refrigerator when I was done to let them soak until needed.
This recipe only used a little more than half of my pack of celery. Again, I kept my dicing small. Chop, chop!
If you hang around this blog very long, you will learn I absolutely detest, hate, abhor dicing onions! I'm always quite sure imI going to die when I have to cut up an onion! Imagine the horror of having three to dice!! I diced as small I could and still survive. I had to take several breaks to stop crying, but I got the job done! Cooking is a labor of love, and love hurts sometimes! 😆
I put the veggies in the frig to hang out at their fair well party until it was needed.
Once the chicken was done, I let it cool until it was warm enough to handle comfortably. Then it was sliced and diced into small pieces similar to the veggies. I measured it out as I chopped.
Then all the ingredients were gathered together to begin packing the jars. I made sure to drain the water off the potatoes. Notice, too, the carrots joined us. I love the look of the Matchstick carrots in my canned soups, so I saved my self a little extra work and bought them precut. I thanked myself.
This is where the fun part begins! I began layering the ingredients in my jars, dividing the ingredients as evenly as I could.
Isn't it pretty?
Next, I began filling the jars with chicken broth. Make sure to fill the jars to one inch headspace for proper canning. I like to use my funnel to keep the jar rims as clean as possible during filling.
To make sure the rims are clean and to reduce the likelihood of a seal failure, I like to wipe the rims with a napkin and vinegar when using something greasy.
Lastly, the jars are sealed with a lid and ring, and the jars are placed in the canner. I love my new canner! I was able to can all twelve quarts at one time!
The jars are canned at 10 pounds for a weighted canner or 11 pounds for a guaged canner for 90 minutes where I live. Make sure you make adjustments for altitudes above 1000 feet if you are trying this recipe.
Here they are all nice and pretty, right out of the canner!
Cheesey Chicken Chowder Base
7 32oz chicken broth
8-9 c cooked, diced chicken
2-3 onions, finely chopped
3-6 potatoes, diced
3 c celery, diced
1 10oz. bag Matchstix carrots (about 1/8 - 1/4 c per jar)
Layer chicken, onions, potatoes, celery, and carrots in 12 quart jars, dividing vegetables evenly among the jars. Fill each jar with chicken broth, leaving 1 inch headspace. Wipe rims of jars with vinegar and a paper towel. Seal with flat lids and rings until finger tight. Place jars in canner and process jars for 90 minutes at 10 pounds pressure for a weighted canner or 11 pounds for a guaged canner. Make adjustments for altitude, if needed.
To prepare chowder:
Pour contents of jar into an adequate stockpot. Heat to boiling. Remove from heat. Add one quart of milk per jar used. Add desired amount of cheese and stir well until melted. Add two tablespoons of butter if desired. Adjust seasoning to taste. I use salt and soy sauce. Flour can be used to thicken if desired, but I never thicken mine.
I hope you get the chance to try this recipe and that you enjoy it! I enjoyed preparing it to present to you!
Until we meet again, may you be blessed!
*To ensure your safety, follow the canning regulations issued by the USDA.