Chicken Jerky Recipes For Humans

You hear about beef jerky and turkey jerky, but what about chicken jerky?! It tastes AMAZING, but is not as commonly found or made as its counterparts. Let's change that, this protein packed super food is just what you need in your life.

This is a classic flavor that works perfectly with the lean chicken breast. The sweetness of the honey and the spice from the chili garlic sauce are what really make this chicken jerky recipe to die for.

Chicken breast is the best part of the chicken to use when making chicken jerky. The breast is the largest part of the bird and very lean. Chicken breast is very inexpensive compared to other types of meat and easily sliced into strips as well.

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Slice the breasts lengthwise into ⅛ - ¼ strips for the best results. Any larger than that and the outside of the jerky will get very dry whereas the inside will still be under dried. After slicing, place the chicken in a gallon ziplock bag.

The first thing you want to do before even slicing is wrap the breasts in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for about an hour. This will firm up the meat and make slicing even strips a lot easier. Slicing even strips is important because this ensures all the jerky will finish drying at the same time.

The most important tool to have when slicing the breast for chicken jerky is a really sharp knife. This will make a huge difference, I am currently using aVictorinox knifethat has a really good feel and sharp blade. When it starts getting dull, a quick sharpen and it is just like new.

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If you have never sharpened a knife before, it's super easy and will make a HUGE difference when slicing nice even strips of chicken. The people at Cook's Illustrated put together a great article onhow to sharpen a knife, it's a must read.

Time to bust out all those great tasting spices and sauces and make the most incredible tasting chicken jerky recipe there is. Let's get started!!!

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Pour the marinade over the chicken strips in the gallon ziplock and marinade in the fridge for 6-24 hours. Make sure to shake the bag to make sure all the strips are fully covered by marinade several times while marinating.

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When making chicken or turkey jerky, I always include curing salt into the marinade to help prevent bacteria in the jerky.Curing saltis mostly table salt with about 6% sodium nitrite, an ingredient that removes water from the meat and the bacteria cells themselves.

Once the chicken is finished marinating, strain in a colander to remove any excess marinade. You can also pat dry with paper towels to remove even more excess marinade. This will speed up the drying process.

This chicken jerky can be dried by using either a dehydrator, oven, or in a smoker. I decided to make this chicken jerky recipe with a Nesco Dehydrator. Which ever method you are using, arrange the chicken strips on the trays or baking sheet lines with cooling racks.

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Make sure the chicken strips aren't touching or overlapping and have enough space in between to allow air to easily flow. This will help speed up the drying process as well.

Dehydrate on the highest setting, normally 165°F, in a dehydrator or at 200°F in a smoker or oven. The jerky should take around 4-6 hours to fully dry.

If you are not sure if your dehydrator heats the jerky to this temperature, you can pre-heat the meat or do a post heat treatment to make sure the jerky reaches the all important 165°F. This is done by placing the meat on a cookie sheet and putting in a 300°F pre-heated oven for about 10 minutes. This can be done before dehydrating or after.

How To Make Chicken Jerky

Food safety is very important when making jerky, especially chicken or turkey jerky. Here I have put together a lot of great information onjerky safetyand food safety steps you can follow when making homemade turkey jerky.

Start checking the chicken jerky about 4 hours into dehydrating to see if it's finished. Remove 1 piece of jerky from the dehydrator, oven, or smoker and allow it to cool to room temperature for 5 minutes.

Bend the jerky in half from end to end in a U shape. The jerky should bend and crack, but not break in half. If it bends into a U shape without cracking, it is not finished and needs to be dried further. Continue drying for another hour or so and check again.

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Take a piece of chicken jerky and rip it in half by grabbing one end of the jerky and tearing like you would a piece of paper. The jerky should rip in half and white fibers will be easily seen. The white fibers are an indication it is finished drying. If you don't see the fibers and only raw looking meat, it needs to dry longer.

I recommend using curing salt when making turkey or chicken jerky. It's another step to make sure the chicken jerky is safe.

You hear about beef jerky and turkey jerky, but what about chicken jerky?! It tastes AMAZING, but is not as commonly found or made as its counterparts. Let's change that and make some chicken jerky!

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Serving: 1 g | Calories: 186 kcal | Carbohydrates: 20 g | Protein: 21 g | Fat: 2 g | Saturated Fat: 1 g | Trans Fat: 1 g | Cholesterol: 58 mg | Sodium: 1607 mg | Potassium: 524 mg | Fiber: 1 g | Sugar: 17 g | Vitamin A: 42 IU | Vitamin C: 4 mg | Calcium: 28 mg | Iron: 2 mgWe’re all familiar with beef and turkey jerky, but chicken jerky is far less common. While it’s difficult to fill the shoes of beef jerky in terms of chewiness, chicken is great for making extra lean jerky and very budget friendly. And making Traeger jerky produces an awesome smoky flavor that’s hard to replicate with only dehydrated jerky.

That said, I’ll also show you how to make chicken jerky without a smoker by using the dehydrator function of an air fryer. Keep reading to learn all about jerky marinades, how to make jerky on a Traeger, and how to make it without a smoker.

Most marinades for jerky include soy sauce for its glutamic acid content and salty, umami flavor. You’ll also find other components like Worcestershire sauce, honey, vinegars, salt, black pepper, and other dried spices and herbs.

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My recipe doesn’t call for curing salt because it includes notes for heating the jerky to a food safe temperature of 165ºF and consuming within a 2-week window. If you’d like to extend the shelf life, adding a curing salt is a great idea to ensure all bacteria is removed during the jerky making process.

A pound of jerky on the Traeger Pro 575 should take around two and a half to three hours at 200ºF. Match the type of wood pellets to your marinade for best results.

You can smoke more jerky at one time on larger Traeger grills. Using a second rack in the smaller 575 model is also another way you could create space for larger batches of jerky.

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I referenced the Instant Pot’s recipe for ultimate beef jerky in the Vortex Pro for time and temperature recommendations, and they were on the money. Three hours, switching the racks halfway through cooking, at 160ºF using the dehydrate function made perfect chicken jerky.

Making jerky in an air fryer is a great hack, in my opinion. Clean up is much easier than the grill, and you can easily switch from the dehydrate function to the bake function at the end to take the jerky to a food safety recommended internal temperature of 165ºF.

One downside of using the air fryer method is the lack of true smoke flavor. If you’re comfortable with the ingredients, consider adding something like liquid smoke to your marinade to mimic the smoky flavor.

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And that’s a wrap. I’ve included notes and additional resources about safe jerky storage in the recipe card’s notes section below. If you have any other questions, I’ll do my best to help out in the comments. I hope you enjoy your chicken jerky!

If you'd like to ensure the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF, you can place the finished jerky in a 250ºF to 275ºF oven for 5-10 minutes. Keep a close eye and check with a food thermometer often to avoid burning the jerky.

Let the chicken jerky fully cool to room temperature and press between paper towels to remove any excess moisture before packaging for storage. Store in an airtight container or vacuum sealed container.

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Properly dried and treated (pre-heating or post-heating) jerky can safely be stored for up to two weeks at room temperature or three to six months in the refrigerator. For highest food quality, store in a cool and dry location. - Ohio State University Extension