Easy layered soup in a jar!
Difficulty: Easy
Servings: varies
Ingredients
Diced chicken, lightly sautéed or pre-cooked*
Carrots, peeled if needed and sliced or diced
Peas, frozen and thawed or fresh
Onion, diced
Potatoes, peeled and diced
Corn niblets, frozen and thawed or fresh cut from the cob
Diced tomato – canned, drained or fresh, peeled and diced
Garlic, minced (small amount per jar)
Parsley, fresh or dried
Chicken broth
Directions
Prepare chicken and vegetables. Heat broth over low heat. Layer vegetables and chicken in quart jars, alternating colors for best eye appeal and allowing 1” headspace. Sprinkle layers with a few flakes of parsley (optional). Add warmed chicken broth to jars, de-bubble. Add more broth if needed, still leaving 1” headspace. Wipe jar rims well and cap with lid and ring. Tighten rings to finger-tip tight.
Place jars in pressure canner (as you fill each one) that contains water heated to approximately the same temperature as the filled jars. When all jars are filled, capped and placed in the canner, put the lid on the canner as the manufacturer recommends. Slowly increase heat to allow the jars to gradually adjust to the change, avoiding thermal shock. When the heat has increased to the point that steam is flowing freely and steadily from the vent, continue to allow steam to vent for 10 minutes. Close the vent, turn down the heat a bit, and allow the canner to come up to pressure before beginning to count the processing time.
Process 75 minutes for pints, 90 minutes for quarts, at 10 lbs. pressure (adjust for your altitude).
If you choose to fill your jars only half full of solids and half broth, you can reduce processing time to 60 minutes for pints, 75 for quarts.
*NOTE: raw chicken can be added – no pre-cooking is required. However, pre-cooking the meat will result in a more appealing broth/jar contents after processing. Vegetables can be changed or added to suit your preferences. Using fresh or frozen (& thawed) will provide a better end result in texture but leftover vegetables work great for this method as well.
To use: Heat and eat from the jar. OR add more broth, bring to a boil and cook your favorite noodles or dumplings in the soup. OR add a thickener and use as a pot pie filling OR thicken and add a bit of cream and serve over biscuits. LOTS of possibilities!
Categories: Canning, PC Chicken, PC Meats, PC Soups & Stews, Preserving, Pressure Canning
Submitted by: wvhomecanner on September 9, 2012
kellyb says:
Dede,
This soup Is terrific. I canned 14 quarts Thursday night and used what was left to make a chicken pie for dinner. I just thickened a little, added some milk and a few herbs and spices. Huge hit with Earnie.
I also used 2 quarts of tomato broth plus chicken broth as my base. Delicious. I’m making more today. It would be great with beef also.
On September 22, 2012 at 12:23 pm
DancesInGarden says:
I have made this a few times now since last years retreat. I have found that certain veggies are great added raw (carrots, corn, potatoes, peas) but others are better if I sauté them just a bit (onions, celery). Great recipe! And perfect in pint jars to take to work. Pop the top, microwave, and eat right from the jar. You can freeze noodles or rice in mounds on cookie sheets then toss into storage bags. A mound defrosts by lunch time and can be dropped into the jar right before putting it into the micro.
On September 14, 2013 at 9:07 am
BSue says:
DeDe,
I’m wondering, as I picture the lovely boneless beef rib meat I got yesterday, if I could use this same method for veggie beef soup, using virtually the same veggies. I am picturing using the case of tomato chicken broth I have, and doing the same layering concept, except with cubes of beef instead of chicken. Also, if you have tried this, does it also work better to sear the beef before canning it? I know the timing would be the same as listed, based on times for canning meat/meat products. I had wondered about using some clear jel to thicken a bit – like your cream of… soups but (unless you have a recommended amount) I could just thicken on heating if at home, and not at all if in my lunch.
Thanks in advance,
On October 28, 2013 at 2:43 pm
Dede ~ wvhomecanner says:
Bsue, sorry, just getting to this! I think your idea sounds great. I would probably sear the meat first but truly for taste it doesn’t matter much. I have used Clearjel in soups and stews outside of recipes I have posted here but have (so far) only done so with soups basically cooked first, Clearjel added, then I canned it. Worked beautifully 🙂 I have not tried that with liquid in a layered soup – I don’t think it would work well because the slightly thickened liquid needs to get down in and around the layered stuffs. I do know that the foods cooking in the jar during processing WOULD dilute the thickness of the thickened liquid you added, so I don’t think you’d get what you are shooting for?
On November 3, 2013 at 9:55 am
BSue says:
Dede,
No need to be sorry – due to an unforeseen plumbing emergency yesterday, I only got as far as cutting up the 5 lbs of boneless beef rib meat into cubes, then put it up for the night. I have several quarts of tomato chicken broth and am going to heat that to pour over the contents of the layered jars. Mama’s “beef stew” was not thick at all, so I’ll feel right at home with this – just whatever incidental thickening I get from the cubed potatoes… And I have another package of rib meat that I may leave in the freezer til I see how well I like these results. If I’m feeling adventuresome as our temperatures down here on the “third coast” continue to moderate, so that I can stand having the canner going, I may try making soup with it, then when I get a taste I like, try mildly thickening it with clear jel to see how it works. I’m thinking maybe 2/3 cup mixed into a couple of cups of cold broth, then stirred into the hot soup, for hot packing a 7-8 quart batch? Sound about right?
Thanks again for your right on time reply!
Bobbie
On November 3, 2013 at 3:17 pm
BSue says:
OK – I can’t tell you how it tastes because DURN THE LUCK… all 7 quarts sealed (even tho’ one hissed at me when I went to take it out of the canner)… Smelled heavenly. I had prepped the following amounts and had leftovers of everything except beef cubes:
5 lbs beef in 1″ cubes, sprinkled with garlic powder and seared, placed in oven on “keep warm”
deglazed skillet with a bit of tomato chicken broth, then stirred in 1 pkg beefy onion soup mix with enough water added to put 2 oz in each of my 7 quart jars…
2lbs potatoes, peeled and cut into 1″ cubes (1.5 lbs would likely have been enough)
2 lbs baby carrots cut into 3 pieces (1.5 lbs would have likely been enough)
1 lb onion, diced big (I think I chopped 1 big and 2 small – could have done with just the one BIG)
Half a bunch of celery, with some leafy tops, cut in 1/2″ pieces (could have done w/ half as much)
2 cups frozen mixed veggies – thawed and brought to room temp
3 quarts total broth heated to simmering (I used tomato chicken because the broth fairy gave me a case)
I divvied up the meat cubes between the HOT jars,
added the 2 oz of soup/broth mix, then layered carrots, potatoes,celery and mixed veggies, stopping a smidge before 1″ headspace, then added the broth to 1″ headspace, debubbled, then adjusted headspace.
The jars turned out beautiful, and smelled divine!
And I’ll probably take test the one that hissed at me tomorrow night, even though it did seal… Just because I want to try it out ;0}
On November 5, 2013 at 10:55 am