Chicken Jerky Recipe

Apr 30, 2026   #food  #recipe  #jerky  #chicken  #dehydrator  #diy 

This is my go-to chicken jerky workflow, including cure, dehydration, and final heat step.

Disclaimer

I am not a food safety professional. This is my personal process and not a guarantee of safety.

Ingredients (for 3 kg raw chicken breasts)

  • 3 kg chicken breasts, trimmed of all visible white fat, sliced to 3 mm
  • 150 ml cold water
  • 1.5 g calcium ascorbate (to help reduce nitrosamine formation)
  • 10 g garlic powder or 5 cloves garlic

Salts (choose one option)

  • Option 1 (Prague Powder #1 + regular salt):
    • 7.5 g Prague Powder #1
    • 17 g regular table salt
  • Option 2 (Prague Powder #1 + 0.5-0.6% nitrite curing salt):
    • 5.86 g Prague Powder #1
    • 18.64 g curing salt (0.55% sodium nitrite)

Both options target about 156 ppm added nitrite and about 24 g total salt for 3 kg meat.

Method

  1. Trim all visible white fat from the chicken breasts.
  2. Slice the chicken into 3 mm strips.
  3. In a bowl, dissolve the salts from your chosen option and calcium ascorbate in 150 ml cold water.
  4. Add garlic powder (or crushed garlic) and mix.
  5. Combine chicken slices with the curing mix thoroughly so all surfaces are coated.
  6. Leave to cure in the fridge for 12 to 24 hours, mixing once midway.
  7. Arrange strips in a single layer on dehydrator trays.
  8. Dehydrate at 60°C for 90 minutes.
  9. Increase dehydrator temperature to 75°C and continue for 6.5 hours, checking internal temperature during this phase.
  10. Finish in an oven pre-heated to 120°C for 20 to 25 minutes, and verify the thickest strips reach at least 74°C internal with a food thermometer.
  11. Cool fully before storing.

Storage

  1. Cool jerky to room temperature.
  2. Put it in an open zip-lock bag (not vacuum sealed) with a food-grade silica gel packet, then hold in the fridge at +6 C for 2 to 3 hours to remove condensation.
  3. Transfer to freezer storage at -18 C.
  4. Before eating, move from freezer to fridge to thaw.
  5. Maximum storage times I use:
    • up to 2 months in freezer
    • up to 1 week in fridge
    • up to 24 hours at room temperature

Notes

  • Weigh cure ingredients accurately.
  • I mix nitrite cure and calcium ascorbate fresh for each batch; I do not store them as a dry premix.
  • Do not substitute Prague Powder #1 with regular salt.
  • Keep raw poultry cold during prep.
  • For poultry jerky safety, aim for a measured internal temperature of at least 74°C (165°F).
  • I use zip-lock bags for storage steps in this post, not vacuum sealing.