How to can chicken (bone-in): time & pressure by the book
Chicken (bone-in) is low-acid, so pressure canning is the only safe method — here are the USDA processing times and how the pressure changes with elevation.
How long do you can chicken (bone-in)?
USDA processes chicken (bone-in) for 65 minutes for pints and 75 minutes for quarts, at the pressure for your altitude and gauge (below).
What pressure for your altitude?
With a weighted gauge, use 10 psi up to 1,000 ft and 15 psi above that. With a dial gauge, use 11 psi to 2,000 ft, 12 psi to 4,000 ft, 13 psi to 6,000 ft and 14 psi to 8,000 ft. Start timing only once the canner has vented 10 minutes and reached pressure.
Why chicken (bone-in) is pressure canned
Chicken (bone-in) is a low-acid food (above pH 4.6), so a boiling-water bath cannot reach the temperature needed to destroy Clostridium botulinum spores. It must be pressure canned. Water-bath or “oven canning” a low-acid food is a botulism risk.
FAQ
How long do you can chicken (bone-in)?
USDA processes chicken (bone-in) for 65 minutes for pints and 75 minutes for quarts, at the pressure for your altitude and gauge.
Do you water bath or pressure can chicken (bone-in)?
Chicken (bone-in) is low-acid and must be pressure canned; a water bath can't make it safe.
What PSI for canning chicken (bone-in)?
With a weighted gauge, use 10 psi up to 1,000 ft and 15 psi above that. With a dial gauge, use 11 psi to 2,000 ft, 12 psi to 4,000 ft, 13 psi to 6,000 ft and 14 psi to 8,000 ft.
Gear this guide uses
Chicken (bone-in) can only be made safe in a canner that actually reaches and holds pressure.
- Low-acid foods need the ~240°F only a pressure canner (Presto or All American) can reach — a water-bath canner can't.
- A weighted-gauge regulator can't drift out of calibration, which is why it jumps to 15 psi above 1,000 ft.
- Pack into tested-recipe Ball mason jars and lids and leave the headspace your recipe calls for.
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Sources
General education, not a recipe. Always follow a current USDA-tested process for your food, equipment, and elevation. Processing time per Part 5, Chicken or rabbit, with bones — hot pack, sea level.