If you like chicken pot pie, and love having a shelf full of easy to make meals, you’re going to love this chicken pot pie filling canning recipe!
Chicken Pot Pie Filling Canning Recipe
This recipe is adapted from the new ball book of preserving, without the mushrooms and raw packed instead of hot packed. It’s super easy to put together, and makes 7 quart jars for easy dinners that go perfect with soft sourdough rolls or cheddar biscuits!
This recipe streamlines the canning process for chicken pot pie filling, making it a breeze to whip up shelf-stable dinners! It’s pressure canned at pressure for 90 minutes, so it’s safe and stores for 2 years on the shelf!
This is safe to do because you can can chicken soup with almost the same ingredients (minus peas) for the same amount of time.
You can also use this chicken pot pie filling for soups or Sheppard’s pies… There are so many possibilities for a quick and easy dinner when you’ve got these on the shelf!
Key Ingredients for Canned Chicken Pot Pie
When canning chicken pot pie, selecting the right ingredients isn’t just about flavor – it’s about ensuring safety and quality in every jar. Here are the key players:
- Boneless, Skinless Cooked Chicken (7-8 cups): This is, of course, the star of the show! Using cooked, boneless, and skinless chicken is paramount for canning safety. I like to use rotisserie chicken because it’s already cooked and perfectly seasoned, saving a ton of time.
- Red or Yukon Gold Potatoes, Peeled and Chopped (7 cups): Potatoes provide that hearty, comforting texture we all love in pot pie. I specifically recommend Red or Yukon Gold varieties because they tend to hold their shape better during the canning process and don’t get mushy. Potatoes have to be peeled for food safety when canning.
- Diced Onion (3 1/2 cups) & Chopped Celery (3 1/2 cups): These vegetables form the flavor base of your pot pie. Onions and celery add savory notes and add a wonderful depth of flavor that develops beautifully in the jar. Don’t skimp on these!
- Carrots, Peeled and Chopped (5 cups): Carrots bring a touch of sweetness and add color to the mix. Like potatoes, they’re firm enough to withstand the canning process without turning to mush.
- Salt and Thyme (Optional Pepper): These seasonings bring out the best in all your ingredients. Salt is essential for flavor balance, and thyme is the quintessential herb for chicken pot pie, adding a warm, earthy aroma. I personally love a touch of fresh ground black pepper too, but that’s truly optional for those who prefer to keep it milder.
- 3 Quarts Broth or Water: This is where you get to choose your adventure! Bone broth will undoubtedly add a richer, deeper flavor to your pot pie, giving it that homemade, slow-cooked taste. However, if you prefer a lighter, brighter, and visually clearer filling, clear broth or even plain water works perfectly well. I’ve canned with both, and honestly, it’s delicious both ways!
How To Make Chicken Pot Pie Filling Canning Recipe
Before you start with this recipe, make sure to check your pressure canner, makes sure your rubber seal ring is in good shape and all the vents are working right. Place the metal plate on the bottom.
Fill your pressure canner with the correct amount of water (My weighted presto pressure canner takes 3 quarts water in the bottom.)
Wash and prepare 7 canning jars with new lids and rings.
Next, prep your veggies: Peel and cube potatoes into 1/2 inch – 1 inch cubes. Peel and cut carrots. Dice onions, dice celery.
Add 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme to each quart jar.
Evenly distribute the chicken and veggies between each jar: 1 cup of chicken in each jar. 1 cup of potatoes in each jar, 1/2 cup of carrots in each jar, 1/2 cup of celery in each jar, 1/2 cup of onion in each jar. And 1/2 cup of frozen peas in each jar.
Using the broth to fill each quart jar, leaving 1 inch headspace at the top.
Use a plastic bubbler, or a butter knife to carefully (don’t hurt your jar) remove any air bubbles trapped in each jar.
Wipe each rim clean with a clean wash cloth dampened with vinegar to remove any residue.
Place clean new lid on each jar, and screw on bands to finger tight.
Add 7 quart jars into the prepared pressure canner. Place lid onto pressure canner and turn to lock into position.
Pressure Canning
Heat to medium high, and let steam vent through the vent pipe for 10 minutes before placing the weights on top. (I am at 2500 feet elevation, so I use the 15 pound weight.) Check your elevation and adjust the weight rings for your elevation.
Let your pressure canner come up to pressure. When the weights start jiggling back and forth, set your timer for 90 minutes.
After 90 minutes of possessing at pressure, turn heat off, and let your pressure canner naturally release it’s pressure as it slowly cools down on it’s own.
After the pressure button goes down on it’s own, you can remove the weights from the top vent. Let your pressure canner sit for at least 10 more minutes before removing the lid.
Then let your jars sit in the pressure canner for at least 10 minutes longer before removing hot jars from the pressure canner to a towel on the counter.
Do not tip or move jars. Let them cool for 24 hours before removing rings, checking seals, and storing on the shelf!
Recipe Card
Chicken Pot Pie Filling Canning Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 cups boneless skinless Cooked Chicken
- 8 cups peeled and chopped Red potatoes or Yukon gold
- 3 1/2 cups Diced Onion
- 3 1/2 cups Chopped Celery
- 5 cups peeled and chopped Carrots
- 3 1/2 cups Frozen Peas
- 7 teaspoons Salt and (optional) Pepper
- 2 teaspoons dried Thyme leaves
- 3 quarts chicken Broth or Water.
Instructions
- Get your pressure canner ready. Check seal and vents. add water, and bottom plate/tray.
- Wash 7 quart jars, new lids and bands.
- Wash, peel and chop: potatoes, carrots, onions, and celery.
- Dice chicken.
- Add 1 teaspoon salt (and pepper if using) and 1/4 teaspoon thyme to each jar.
- Evenly distribute chicken and veggies into each jar.
- Fill jars the rest the way with broth or water, leaving 1 inch headspace.
- Remove any air bubbles. Wipe rims clean. Center new lids on jars, and screw on bands to finger tight.
- Place jars into pressure canner, lock the lid, and heat to medium high.
- Let pressure canner vent steam for 10 minutes, then add the weights to the top of the vent, according to your pressure canner manufacturers direction.
- Let your pressure canner come to pressure (check your elevation for correct pressure. I am at 2500 feet elevation, so I use 15 pounds of pressure on my weighted presto pressure canner.)
- Process quart jars for 90 minutes. Then turn heat off and let pressure canner cool and come down to 0 pressure naturally. Wait 2 more minutes then open the vent. Remove canner lid. Wait 10 more minutes before removing HOT jars. Cool for 24 hours before removing rings, clean and store!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
About Juliea
Juliea Huffaker is the creator of Farmhouse Harvest, and dedicated to teaching from-scratch cooking, sourdough baking, gardening, and food preservation. With over 25 years of hands-on experience she has preserved hundreds of jars of produce, mastered the art of meats and sourdough baking, and nurtured a thriving organic garden. Her recipes and articles have been featured across the web. And she’s passionate about inspiring others to embrace a simpler, self-sufficient life style.
14 comments
Ashley scully
If I add lemon juice to it then could I water bathe them. I just dont have a pressure canner. Thank you
Juliea Huffaker
Hi Ashley!
Thank you so much for reaching out with such an important question about canning! It shows you’re taking safety seriously, which is the most important part of home food preservation.
Regarding your idea of adding lemon juice to water bath can chicken pot pie filling: I completely understand the thought process, as lemon juice is indeed a fantastic way to safely acidify some foods for water bath canning. BUT, for a recipe like chicken pot pie filling, even with added lemon juice, water bath canning is unfortunately not a safe method… It must be pressure canned.
Here’s why:
Low-Acid Ingredients Require Higher Temperatures: Chicken pot pie filling contains a combination of low-acid ingredients, including chicken (meat), and most vegetables (like carrots, potatoes, peas, celery). These foods have a naturally high pH (meaning they are low in acid). To safely preserve low-acid foods, we need to reach temperatures far higher than boiling water can achieve. Boiling water (at sea level) only reaches 212°F (100°C).
The Threat of botulinum: The primary concern with low-acid foods is the risk of botulism, a very serious and potentially deadly foodborne illness caused by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. These bacteria produce spores that are incredibly resistant to heat. While boiling water can kill many spoilage organisms, it cannot destroy botulism spores.
Pressure Canning’s Role: A pressure canner works by creating a pressurized environment that allows the water inside to reach much higher temperatures (typically 240°F to 250°F, or 116°C to 121°C). These higher temperatures, held for a precise amount of time, are essential to effectively destroy botulism spores, making the low-acid food safe for shelf-stable storage.
Lemon Juice Acidification Has Limits: While lemon juice (or other acids like vinegar) is successfully used to acidify borderline acidic foods like tomatoes, or to create safe pickling brines, it cannot lower the pH of a complex, dense, and primarily low-acid mixture like chicken pot pie filling enough to make it safe for water bath canning. The sheer volume and variety of low-acid ingredients mean that simply adding lemon juice isn’t sufficient to change the overall pH drastically or consistently enough throughout the entire jar to inhibit botulism growth.
The USDA and all reputable canning resources strongly recommend and require pressure canning for all meat, poultry, and most vegetable mixtures, including delicious recipes like chicken pot pie filling.
I truly appreciate your dedication to preserving food for your family, and I hope this explanation helps clarify why a pressure canner is absolutely essential for this type of recipe. Your safety is always the top priority!
Fonda
Love this, but I only have a water bath canner. Can I use it instead?
Juliea Huffaker
Hi Fonda… Thanks for asking about canning the chicken pot pie filling in a water bath canner. It is not safe to can chicken pot pie filling in a water bath canner. There are a couple of key reasons for this, and food safety is always the top priority when it comes to home canning:
Low-Acid Food: Chicken, vegetables (other than acidified tomatoes), are all considered low-acid foods. Low-acid environments are breeding grounds for a dangerous bacterium called Clostridium botulinum, which produces a potentially deadly toxin that causes botulism. Water bath canning only reaches a temperature of 212°F (100°C), which is sufficient for killing molds, yeasts, and some bacteria in high-acid foods (like many fruits and properly acidified tomato products). However, this temperature is not high enough to kill the spores of Clostridium botulinum in low-acid foods. These spores can survive boiling water temperatures.
The only safe method for canning low-acid foods like chicken pot pie filling is pressure canning. Pressure canners create a pressurized environment that allows the temperature inside the jars to reach 240°F (116°C) or higher. This high temperature is necessary to kill the Clostridium botulinum spores and ensure the safety of the preserved food.
Because your chicken pot pie filling contains low-acid ingredients, it absolutely requires pressure canning for safe preservation. Water bath canning will not eliminate the risk of botulism.
For the safety of yourself and anyone who might consume it, I strongly advise against canning this recipe using a water bath canner.
Please let me know if you have any other questions! Food safety is so important, and I’m happy to help in any way I can.
Dian Carpenter
Is there any difference between this recipe and a beef pot pie recipe
Juliea Huffaker
You can totally do the same thing with beef for beef pot pies.. Good idea!
Rach
Hi how long would this be shelf stable for?
Juliea Huffaker
at least 1 year but we’ve actually used them after 2years… They’re fine just lose nutritional value after a year. As long as they are sealed well they will store.
Cindy
I don’t can, but I’m wondering if I could freeze the filling and use it as suggested?
Juliea Huffaker
Hello Cindy! You could freezer the filling if you cook it first. Some of the vegetables don’t freeze well without blanching them first;)
Ian
Love the idea of being able to make a pie that quick after a hard day’s work
Juliea Huffaker
Hi Nancy! I have 2 weighted presto pressure canners that I use. I bought them from Walmart, they are a base model without a pressure gauge, instead they just use weights, which I think is much simpler;)
Dawn
What would the time be for pints
Juliea Huffaker
Hi Dawn… Thanks for asking! Pint jars would be 1 hour and 15 minutes processing time… That’s after the pressure canner has come to pressure and the weight is rocking back and forth.