Canned chicken

I stumbled upon a YouTube video recently in which someone calling himself “Chef Prepper” did a comparison of 12 brands of canned chicken (Kroger, Kirkland, Tyson, Sam’s Club, etc.).

He carefully accounted for total weight (with liquid) of each brand, weight of the actual meat, ingredients (including additives), taste, etc. His goal was to determine the best bang for the buck in terms of price and taste. Most of the chicken was canned in 12.5-ounce cans. When he calculated everything out, the very best deal he came up with was Sam’s Club chicken which, when all was said and done, cost about $5/lb.

We don’t have Sam’s Club around here, but I got onto the Costco website and looked at their canned chicken.

The online price as of Dec. 18 was $15.00 for a pack of six cans. Zooming in on the actual amount of meat:

So that’s 2.6 lbs of meat for $15, or $5.77/lb

Here’s the thing: I can my own chicken meat. What I do is purchase bulk frozen 40-lb. boxes of boneless skinless chicken breasts from Chef’s Store, a regional chain of restaurant-supply stores (and my favorite place to shop for bulk foods). I defrost the meat and fit about one pound of meat per pint, or two pounds per quart, after it’s all canned up.

As of Dec. 18, the price for a 40-lb. box of boneless skinless chicken breast at Chef’s Store was $56, or $1.40/lb.

This frugal alternative to commercial canned chicken, Don reminded me to add, is because I already have a pressure canner, jars, lids, and all the other canning accouterments – as well as the skills and experience – necessary to process the meat properly. And, of course, there’s the time spent. It usually takes me an entire day to process all 40 lbs. of meat. How much is my time worth?

Still, when everything shakes out, it’s nice to have canned chicken in the pantry – and for a lot less than I might spend at Costco for the same amount.