Get my Cookbooks! Cream of Chicken Soup Recipe
This homemade Cream of Chicken Soup recipe is an easy substitute for condensed soup and adds comforting home cooked flavor to your favorite casseroles and soups. It’s also freezer-friendly and easy to make!
Be sure to try my homemade condensed cream of mushroom soup next!
Cream of Chicken Soup
I literally stood in my kitchen with an open can of condensed Cream of Chicken Soup, and a pot of this homemade version, and took a spoon to each one to perform a very serious taste-test to compare the two.
All of a sudden, I was hyper-aware as to how processed it tasted from a can compared to the soothing and comforting homemade version.
Since this recipe is freezer-friendly and can be easily stored in can-sized portions, I think we should all try to take our cooking to the next level by making our favorite casseroles and soups with this Cream of Chicken Soup recipe whenever we “can”. 😂
(That was terrible, and I’m sorry.)
How to Make it
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Let it fully melt and begin to foam. This allows the water in the butter to cook off which will create a smoother consistency.
Gradually sprinkle in the flour and whisk continuously for 3-5 minutes to cook off the raw flour taste. It will become the consistency of wet sand.
Remove from heat. Add 1/3 of the chicken broth, whisk well. Whisk in 1/3 more, until combined. Finally, whisk in the rest. Temper the milk by microwaving it for 45 seconds, slowly add it to the saucepan and whisk to combine.
Add the seasonings. Add to medium-high heat to thicken it back up.
Whisk continuously as it increases in temperature and reaches near-boiling point. It will become very thick. Remove from heat immediately once it’s thickened. It will thicken even more as it sits.
PRO TIP: Run the mixture through a fine mesh strainer to make it super smooth, just like a can of condensed soup.
This strainer is also a perfect tool for making homemade chicken stock, or to run oil through if you want to reuse it after making a batch of fried chicken or french fries. It’s a great investment in the kitchen.
Using as a Substitute for Condensed Soup
- This recipe serves as a direct substitute for canned Cream of Chicken soup.
- 1 batch= two (10.5 oz.) cans of soup, each can is about 1 + 1/4 cups.
- I recommend storing these in freezable soup containers.
Using as a Base for Homemade Soup
My Homemade Chicken Stew recipe is a perfect way to put this recipe to use, as it uses a can of Cream of Chicken Soup as a base. It’s also Stove Top, Crock Pot, and Instant Pot friendly. (Check out the reviews, it’s one of the most popular recipes on the blog!)
Storage
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 4 months.
Recipes That Use Cream of Chicken Soup
See my complete collection here.
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- Chicken Divan
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- Chicken Tetrazzini
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- Creamy Chicken Stew
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- Crock Pot Chicken and Stuffing
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- Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
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- Chicken Noodle Casserole
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Tried This Recipe?
Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Cream of Chicken Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 chicken bouillon cube, or 1 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon. (Optional- see notes.)
- 1 cup milk, preferably whole but any kind works
- ⅓ teaspoon EACH: celery salt, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper
Instructions
- Note: It’s important to whisk continuously throughout this process to ensure the smoothest possible consistency.
- Temper the milk by microwaving it for 45 seconds. This prevents curdling but also prevents lumps from forming when it’s added. Set aside.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Let it fully melt and wait until it starts to foam, about 3 minutes.
- Gradually add the flour, whisk continuously for 3-5 minutes, until it’s the consistency of wet sand. Remove from heat.
- Add 1/3 of the chicken broth and whisk well. Add 1/3 more, whisk well.
- Add the remaining chicken broth, chicken bouillon, warm milk, and seasonings, whisk continuously.
- Return to heat and bring to a near boil. Continue to whisk until it begins to get very thick. Immediately remove from heat.
- Soup will continue to thicken upon standing.
- If possible, run the mixture through a fine mesh strainer for a super-smooth consistency.
- Use as a direct substitute for condensed cream of chicken soup, this recipe makes enough for two (10.5 oz.) cans.
Notes
Reducing Sodium: You can use unsalted butter and reduced sodium chicken broth and bouillon to lower the salt content. You can also refrain from adding salt as a seasoning.
Storage:
- Refrigerate for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 4 months. Mixture may separate slightly once reheated but whisking will correct that.
- I recommend storing these in freezable soup containers.
- This soup cannot be canned as it contains dairy.
Be sure to try my homemade condensed cream of mushroom soup next!
Nutrition
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Absolutely delicious! I was nervous as I was cooking the butter and flour together because I’m used to a 1:1 volume ratio of butter:flour in a roux… so it seemed way too thick. I panicked and added an extra tablespoon of butter thinking i may have over-measured my flour (be careful of doing this). BUT… the end result will prove.. this recipe was perfect!!! I didn’t have celery salt, so I used celery seed instead – and I loved the flavor so much. Awesome recipe, the consistency was spot-on, and the flavor was incredible.
I added a can of cream of celery, chopped rotisserie chicken, and an additional whole carton of chicken stock to make this into chicken & dumplings (2 small cans of chopped biscuit dough thickened it back up). Best chicken & dumplings we’ve ever had!
Great job Jessie! I’m so happy you made chicken and dumplings with the cream of chicken soup. Can’t beat the homemade flavor that homemade soups bring to the dish. Thanks so much for the great comments!❤️
Amazing! I had somehow run out of canned cream of chicken and needed it quickly for a meal I was in the process of making. Came across this and I will never buy canned again! Very simple to make and had all the ingredients on hand. Delicious, thank you for this recipe!!
I’m so happy you’re ditching the can Kelly! It really makes such a difference and improves the quality of every dish you make. Thanks so much for the great review!
Has anyone tried a dairy free version of this?
Loved how this turned out! Used my own chicken stock and together was delish!
Nice work using your own chicken stock, can’t beat homemade chicken stock! Thanks so much for the great review!🩷
Hi, I will be making this soup, but am wondering if you can imagine my cooking chicken and puree-ing it somehow. My close friend is having extreme dental work done and needs some foods without “chew” to them. I can’t keep making her sugary stuff, am looking for a few things with protein in them.
Thanks in advance!
Melanie
Hi Melanie! You can definitely do this! You’ll basically want to take diced/shredded chicken and add chicken broth to it, blend until completely smooth, and then stir it into the cream of chicken soup. Add broth until there is enough liquid to blend to a smooth consistency (the amount of broth you’ll need will depend on how much chicken you have)! I responded to your email with detailed instructions as well! Very nice of you to take care of your friend! -Stephanie 🙂
Thank you!! I’m allergic to yeast and it’s in all the cream of …. soups. This has made life so much easier!! And yummier!!
Yayyyy! Happy to help! You can’t beat homemade soups. Thanks so much for the great review❤️
I forgot to add the stars so I hope my previous post gets deleted. This was an accidental find with a link in one of your other recipes I used to day with leftovers. (I am in Spain. There is no canned much of anything to be found and the carton stuff here is AWFUL). This was easy (like white sauce which I do all the time) I had everything on hand, and sooooooo delicious!
Now to find a cream of mushroom soup recipe.
We have limited ingredients and few spices/herbs available here.
I’m so happy this accidental find turned into sch a success Billie! Thanks so much for the great comments and for taking the time to leave a review!🩷
My mom had no cream of chicken soup in the house this morning to make the broccoli casserole. It’s Thanksgiving morning Your a life saver. Turned out perfect
Wahooo! I’m so happy you found this one. It’s gonna be way better homemade too. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!🩷
Absolutely delicious! I double the reciped and used heavy whipping cream! We also added real turkey or chicken leftovers and pulsed it to smooth it out! Thank you!
Nice work Melissa! Thanks so much for the review🩷
I want to use this in a recipe for thanksgiving (funeral potatoes) will I need to let the soup cool down first before adding it to the recipe? The casserole has a lot of cold stuff to mix in and idk if it’s better to wait or if I can add it in. The casserole won’t be cooked immediately after prepping.
Hi Emily! I would probably let the soup cool down before adding it, to make sure it doesn’t impact the other ingredients you’re using! 🙂 It doesn’t have to be 100% cold.