If you’re seeking directions on making chicken jerky, you’ve come to the right place. Chicken jerky is a high-protein, high-nutrient super food. Unlike beef or turkey jerky, chicken jerky is made from lean chicken breast marinated in honey and garlic sauce. Here are the steps to create your delicious chicken jerky. Enjoy! However, before we begin, let’s go through everything you’ll need.
Chicken jerky is a popular snack item, and it’s simple and inexpensive to make at home. You can even make spicy jerky with spices in your pantry. Just make sure the meat is completely dry after cooking. Then, please put it in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer. But keep in mind that the meat must reach 165 degrees Fahrenheit to be safe to eat. Although this temperature is only feasible in certain parts of the country, you can still use a dehydrator to get the desired temperature.
Prepare the sweet potatoes next. Potatoes should be cut into thin pieces, and cooking time will be reduced if the strips are thinner. After every half hour, check and inspect them again. You can bake the sweet potato slices in a small basin filled with water if you don’t have an oven. A food processor fitted with a slicing blade can also be used for this phase. Before drying, the slices should be soaked for at least two hours.
How to Make Chicken Jerky?
You can use a dehydrator, smoker, or oven to produce your jerky. After the chicken jerky has cooled to room temperature, double-check it. It’s too dry and doesn’t taste as wonderful as it should if it cracks when bent. But once you’ve done that, your homemade chicken jerky is ready to consume. It should keep in the fridge for up to three days.
Choose boneless turkey or chicken breasts for the best outcomes. Because chicken breasts are much thinner than beef, they’re an excellent choice for producing jerky.
Breasts can be found in your local Sam’s Club at a reasonable price. Also, keep an eye out for bargains. It’s critical to choose lean beef since jerky with too much fat will spoil quickly.
You’ll need chicken, a frying pan, and a slow cooker to make chicken jerky. As a result, the texture will be crispy and leathery. Once dehydrated, the chicken will last for roughly two weeks on the shelf.
The longer the meat is marinated, the more flavor it will develop. Remove the chicken from the marinade and store it in an airtight container once it has cooled. Could you place it in the freezer after that? The chicken jerky can be kept in the refrigerator for up to a month. If you wish to make more, put it in the freezer and consume it later.
To prepare chicken jerky, first thinly slice the meat. The strips should next be marinated in sauce and seasoning. After that, dehydrate them for 5 hours, or until they’re crisp and crispy.
Remove the skins once they have dried. This aids in the slowing of the dehydration process. Slice the strips thinly, approximately an eighth-inch broad, for optimal results. Make sure the strips are evenly distributed.
Ingredients
- Turkey Breast (Lean)
- 1 pound of chicken breast
- a third of a cup of soy sauce
- a third of a cup of Worcestershire sauce
- 14 cups of honey
- Two tablespoons of garlic-chili sauce
- One tablespoon of liquid smoke (hickory) (optional)
- a quarter teaspoon of curing salt (optional)
Instructions
- In a mixing dish, combine all of the ingredients and stir thoroughly. Fill a zip lock bag with the mixture.
- Chicken breasts should be trimmed of all visible fat and cut into 14-inch pieces.
- Place the cut chicken breast in the zip lock bag with the marinade and marinate for 6 to 24 hours in the refrigerator.
- Remove the meat from the refrigerator once it has completed marinating, and pour the extra marinade into a colander.
- Place the strips on the dehydrator trays with enough room for air to circulate. Make sure the strips don’t contact one other.
- Allow for a 4-6 hour dehydration period. Start checking the jerky around the 3.5-hour mark to see if it’s done.
- It is done when the jerky bends and cracks but does not break in half.
- If you’re unsure if your dehydrator will get the strips to a temperature of 165°F, cook them in the oven for 10 minutes at 300°F before or after dehydrating.
Is Making Chicken Jerky Safe?
Yes! It will be safe as long as it reaches an interior temperature of 165°F after drying. Yes, to put it briefly. Chicken can be dehydrated for long-term storage or as a light, shelf-stable option for camping and hiking meals. Dehydrating chicken is not difficult, but it does take time, just like dehydrating anything else. Salmonella and E. Coli are the most prevalent pathogens found in a jerky that has been improperly prepared. Because these can be fatal, food safety is crucial while producing jerky.
Homemade beef jerky is far more likely than store-bought jerky to cause foodborne disease. The simplest and most reliable technique to ensure that your food is safe to consume is to use thermal denaturation of bacteria (described below). Chicken jerky, like turkey jerky, is strong in protein but naturally lower in fat than beef, making it a better option. Chicken jerky is also a popular dog treat, as long as it’s manufactured securely and with just natural ingredients.
What’s the Best Way to Make Chicken Jerky in the Oven?
Chicken breasts should be cut into 14-inch thick pieces. Place slices on a greased cookie sheet, spacing them out at least 12 inches apart. Preheat the oven to 200°F and bake for two hours. Check the slices after two hours to see if they are dry. This is accomplished by placing the meat on a cookie sheet and baking it for about 10 minutes at 300°F. This can be done either before or after dehydration. Food safety is crucial when producing jerky, especially chicken or turkey jerky.
Preheat the oven to 175 degrees F when ready to bake. Place baking racks on top of 2-3 big rimmed baking sheets that have been lined with foil. Drain the marinade off the steak and arrange the strips on the baking racks in a single layer. Bake, the beef jerky for 3-4 hours, or until the texture is to your liking. Place the pork strips on the trays of a dehydrator. Dry for 5-7 hours at 145°F or until totally dry (length of drying time depends on the thickness of strips).
What is the Shelf Life of Homemade Chicken Jerky?
This jerky will keep in an airtight container for up to a week at room temperature, and it can be kept in the fridge for up to two weeks. Whether you vacuum-seal the packaging or not makes a difference when it comes to handmade jerky. If that’s the case, the meat should keep in the pantry for 1 to 2 months and even longer in the fridge. If not, a month at room temperature and 1 to 2 weeks in the fridge are reasonable estimates. After first airtight packaging, your handmade jerky should survive 1-2 months if you follow the methods below.
Jerky will last about a week in zip lock style bags in a dark cupboard; jerky will keep 1-2 weeks in the refrigerator. Properly dried jerky will last two weeks at room temperature in a sealed container. Refrigerate or freeze jerky for optimum results, increased shelf life, and the greatest flavor and quality. If you prepare your jerky, it’s best to consume it within two months. It can last as long as store-bought jerky if properly prepared and vacuum-sealed. A commercially manufactured and packaged jerky can last for 1–2 years.
What Kind of Meat is Best for Jerky?
Top Round, Bottom Round, Lifter, and Pectoral are the greatest cuts of meat for beef jerky, although other cuts like Flank Steak and Skirt Steak can also be utilized. These cuts of beef meet all of the criteria for beef jerky: they’re affordable, lean, and flavorful. While the best cuts are top round, bottom round, pectoral, and lifter, flank and skirt steak can also be used to produce jerky. All of these beef cuts are lean, inexpensive, and flavorful. Let’s look at a few different meat cuts and see how to pick the best ones for making beef jerky.
Jerky in commercial packaging lasts roughly a year. A package’s best-by date is usually included, and it’s a good place to start. As long as you keep the packaging unopened, the meat should be fine for a month or two after the expiration date. Or even longer if it’s high in preservatives. Beef jerky is high in zinc, iron, vitamin B12, phosphorus, folate, and a variety of vitamins and minerals. It’s also portable and has a long shelf life, making it a wonderful on-the-go solution.
Is it Possible to Freeze Homemade Chicken Jerky?
They can be kept in the refrigerator for up to a month, and they should be kept in the freezer after that. People will also keep things on the shelf for long periods. If you still have your beef jerky in its original packaging from the manufacturer, you can freeze the bag itself. Your best bet is to keep the original package. When transferring beef jerky from an open package into an airtight container, it’s best to do so immediately.
The National Center for Home Food Preservation recommends keeping dried meats in an unrefrigerated location for two weeks. After that, store the dehydrated jars in the freezer or refrigerator for up to a year. Mold growth will be limited if oxygen exposure is kept to a minimum. If you’ve opened a pack of jerky and want to keep it fresh and avoid mold, store it in an airtight container. It doesn’t need to be flawless, but the less air there is, the better.
Conclusion
Make sure the chicken jerky reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit before drying. The user’s manual with most dehydrators will walk you through the various food drying procedures. The US Department of Agriculture points out that most jerky recipes skip a crucial step. To destroy hazardous microorganisms, chicken must be cooked to 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Because most dehydrators don’t reach this temperature, you’ll need to follow the instructions to avoid contamination carefully.
You’ll need to know how to prepare the meat while creating chicken jerky at home. You can either use frozen or store-bought chicken breasts, and the meat should be thinly sliced or sliced with grain for chewy jerky. After being prepared, you’ll need to slice the meat into even strips and use a sharp knife to ensure each strip has the same thickness.
