Freezing versus Canning: Canning chicken is a much healthier, long lasting alternative to freezing meat. It has a flakey texture when canned, much like “shredded chicken”. When canning the meat, the process keeps the meat tender and full of moisture. When frozen long-term, the ice crystals slowly deteriorate the meat, breaking down the fibers causing freezer burn and often times causing it to dry out when cooking.
I mainly can chicken giving its multiple uses – we make quesadillas, chicken alfredo, chicken tacos, chicken and rice dishes, chicken salad sandwiches, etc. I do however store split breasts of chicken in the freezer for baked chicken dishes but date and rotate every 3 months.
Having shredded chicken on hand speeds my meal preparation in the kitchen immensely, but doesn’t fully eliminate the need for frozen chicken. to diminish and in many cases the color and texture. We go through so much chicken it’s has yet to sit a full year on my pantry shelves. Many other items have been on my shelves longer than a year and we have eaten them without hesitation! 🙂
Purified water means it has been filtered to remove impurities. If you do not have filtered water in the house, boil your tap water for 5 minutes before using it in canning. If your home has a water softener, do NOT use this water while canning – either filter it or purchase distilled or filtered water. Hope that helps~