Can You Make Jerky Out Of Chicken?

Store-bought jerky is expensive, and people are wondering what it takes to make it at home. It's a time-consuming process for sure, but the reward is a batch of dehydrated protein that can last a long time in storage. Cured meat has been around for centuries, and archaeologists have documented the Quechua people of the Andes mountains making "ch'arki" since the 17th century. All this is to say that with modern kitchen appliances and readily available meat that you don't have to hunt, it's more than possible to create some savory jerky at home.

Jerky is a meat preservation technique for pretty much any protein, including chicken. All you need to make chicken jerky is a marinade, salt, and heat source. Pound the chicken and cut it into thin strips, press away the juices, and coat in a marinade — teriyaki or barbecue sauce will do the trick. Choose something tangy and strong so its flavor can really seep into the meat. It should marinate overnight for thorough coverage.

After refrigeration, the chicken strips will need to be coated in salt before dehydration. It's best to use a curing salt like Fiesta, which you can find on Amazon. Curing salt has a higher concentration of nitrites that prevent bacterial growth and enhance flavor. Once the chicken is cured, it'll be ready to be turned into a delicious jerky.

There are three ways to dehydrate chicken jerky. The first method relies on a specialty dehydrator machine. A dehydrator, like the NESCO Snackmaster Pro, is built to extract the most moisture, resulting in the longest shelf life. They're more energy efficient than ovens, and they can dehydrate fruits and vegetables as well. Dehydrators have special fans and racks ideal for taking the moisture out of food without burning it.

Most people don't have a dehydrator in their kitchen, so an oven or air fryer will have to do the trick. If you plan on using an oven, make sure you place the chicken jerky strips on a tray with a rack so that the meat isn't reabsorbing its juices. Depending on the thickness of your cuts, the chicken will probably need to dehydrate for around 3 hours at 150 to 200 degrees Fahrenheit, flipping once halfway through the cooking time. You'd follow a similar process with the air fryer, setting the temperature to 160 degrees Fahrenheit and cooking for about 3 hours.