How to Make Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup
Throw out those cans and make a simple version of cream of chicken soup at home to add to your casseroles and other family favorites.
I would say that in the last ten years my cooking has changed a lot.
I grew up with a mixture of home-cooked and prepackaged dinners. Involved in that were so many comforting dishes of my childhood that involved cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soups.
So, as I learned how to cook for my husband and family, I continued the tradition and made some of my favorite childhood dishes.
Yet, as time went on and I learned how to cook with more fresh ingredients and more seasonally, I was stuck.
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Should I just dismiss all those favorites from my past because I didn’t want the processed soup ingredients anymore?
That’s what I ended up doing for awhile.
Then I realized that I could make my own cream soups to add to the dishes that I loved from my childhood, and other new ones that I had found more recently.
Hallelujah!!
This homemade canned soup recipe is a great way to control sodium and it has no nasty preservatives.
There are so many ways to use this versatile recipe, and one of my favorite parts is that I can use my homemade chicken broth for it.
How to make homemade condensed cream of chicken soup
If you are like me and have stopped using any canned creamed soups, it is really nice to know how to make a homemade version of cream of chicken soup in your own kitchen with a handful of pantry staples.
This recipe makes an equivalent amount to 1 can of creamed soup. You can double or triple to use right away in a recipe or have partial in the fridge for later in the week.
It can also be frozen and removed the night before or morning of when you plan to use it.
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- 3-4 Tablespoons flour
- 1/2 cup milk, half and half, or cream
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
Step By Step Instructions for Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup
In a small saucepan, melt butter, lard (or other fat of choice) over medium heat.
When butter is melted and getting hot, sprinkle the flour over the butter and whisk to incorporate. It will be thick, but you want to cook for about a minute to cook the flour.
Whisk in the milk and chicken broth over a low heat. Add in the seasonings and continue to whisk.
It will thicken up like a cream soup in a can. You can add more liquid if needed.
Remove from the heat and cool if needed or add right to your recipe.
What if I Need Cream of Celery or Mushroom?
The base flavor for all these cream soups is the same, so with a few additions, it is easy to make what you need.
For a cream of celery: swap out the salt for celery salt. Then finely chop up 1/4 cup celery and sauté in the butter before adding the flour and seasoning.
For cream of mushroom: Finely chop 1/4 cup mushrooms and sauté in the butter before adding the flour and seasonings.
Can I Make this Dairy-Free?
Yes! Unlike the canned version, you can make this dairy free by changing out the milk for more chicken stock.
Can I Make this Gluten-Free?
There are a couple of options for you to make this gluten free. If you are used to cooking gluten free, you probably already have your favorite substitutes for recipes like this. You can try using a gluten-free flour like Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-free flour which doesn’t have xanthan gum or guar gum. You could also try cornstarch, arrowroot, or xanthan gum. I don’t cook gluten-free, so I haven’t tested these substitutes, but I would suggest starting with a little less than what the recipe calls for with flour and add more if needed.
Can I Freeze The Cream of Chicken Soup?
Yes, this condensed cream of chicken soup freezes well to use later. If you double or triple a batch, it is easy to have some in the freezer for later. I portion it out in silicone muffin holders. They are about 1/4 cup so I fill 4 of them most of the way to make 1 can equivalent. Find what you have to freeze a portion in and you will then always know what is equivalent to a can from the store.
As soon as it is frozen through, I take the molds off and freeze in a zip top bag. They should last in the freezer for a few months, but I wouldn’t leave them too long due to freezer burn.
The nice part about having it frozen is that you will be able to pull it out and throw it directly into a crockpot recipe. Or you can defrost it the morning or day before it is needed in a recipe.
Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup
This is a great homemade substitue for cream of chicken soup that is full of real ingredients and leaves out the things you don't want. All the ingredients are pantry staples and it is quick to make.
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- 3-4 Tablespoons flour
- 1/2 cup milk, half and half, or cream
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
Instructions
In a small saucepan, melt butter, lard (or other fat of choice) over medium heat.
When butter is melted and getting hot, sprinkle the flour over the butter and whisk to incorporate. It will be thick, but you want to cook for about a minute to cook the flour.
Whisk in the milk and chicken broth over a low heat. Add in the seasonings and continue to whisk.
It will thicken up like a cream soup in a can. You can add more liquid if needed.
Remove from the heat and cool if needed or add right to your recipe.
Notes
This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled and used right away or separated for different recipes. It will hold a few days in the fridge or can be frozen too.
If you are putting it in a crockpot recipe, it can go right from the freezer into the crockpot.
If you need a cream of celery substitute: replace the salt with celery salt and you can add 1/4 cup of finely chopped celery to the butter and saute before adding flour and seasonings.
If yo need a cream of mushroom substitue: add 1/4 cup finely chopped mushrooms to the butter and saute before adding flour and seasonings.
For dairy-free: use all chicken broth instead of the milk or cream
For gluten-free: try cornstarch, arrowroot, or xanthan gum instead of flour. Taste might be a bit different, but it should thicken up nicely. Start with a bit less of the above than the listed flour and add more if needed.
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Pin For Later – Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup
This looks so good! I can’t believe I haven’t never actually made this 😱 adding it to my Pinterest to make for lunch next week!
What a wonderful idea to make at home instead of buying cream of chicken soup in the stores that do not have such natural ingredients. This would be so amazing with chicken pot pie! Yum!
That would be a great way to use it!
This recipe is delicious. We use it to make King Ranch Chicken instead of using the canned junk. My husband says it’s the best KRC he’s ever had and he’s a native Texan and been eating it for decades.
OH great idea! I should do that as the only time I have had king ranch chicken is a long time ago with the canned soup.
I stopped buying canned cream of chicken soup awhile back, but I’ve been interested in finding a healthier. option. This is really simple, thank you!
This was so quick and easy – and even tastier than the cans from the store! I love the clean and simple ingredients, thanks so much!!!
So glad to hear you tried it and liked it. Such a simple swap.