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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!

A spoon scooping out homemade Cream of Chicken Soup from a saucepan.

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.

Making a roux in a saucepan for homemade Cream of Chicken Soup.

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.

Adding chicken broth and milk to a saucepan to make Cream of Chicken Soup.

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.

Adding seasonings to a saucepan to make Cream of Chicken Soup.

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.

A saucepan with homemade cream of chicken soup with a spoon stirring it.

Recipes That Use Cream of Chicken Soup

See my complete collection here.

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A spoon pulling up thick and smooth cream of chicken soup from a saucepan.

Cream of Chicken Soup Recipe

5 from 202 ratings
This homemade Cream of Chicken Soup recipe is a direct 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!

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
  • 1/3 teaspoon celery salt
  • 1/3 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/3 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/3 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 teaspoon 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

Adding chicken bouillon to the mix help match the concentrated chicken flavor found in condensed soups. This is especially helpful if store-bought chicken broth (such as Swanson), is used instead of homemade chicken stock.

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

Calories: 434kcal, Carbohydrates: 38g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 28g, Saturated Fat: 17g, Cholesterol: 72mg, Sodium: 2008mg, Potassium: 391mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 897IU, Vitamin C: 16mg, Calcium: 165mg, Iron: 2mg
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569 comments on “Cream of Chicken Soup Recipe”

  1. I made this today to put in a chicken casserole. It was delicious. 

  2. Love all your recipes! I need to make this gluten free and wondering if using a good quality GF 1:1 flour would still provide an acceptable consistency (in light of the previous comment regarding using cornstarch as substitute). Thanks!

  3. Like the cream soup, Thank you

  4. Amazingly simple recipe! I can’t wait to try it! What would be your best recommendations as to what to freeze it in? I have smooth Canning jars but unsure if it’s safe to freeze in those. I just don’t want it to get ice crystals on the top of it from not being sealed correctly. 

  5. I was looking for this exact type of cream of chicken recipe. Yours was at the top of the Google search list (no surprise!). I made it right away. I cannot tell you how grateful I am. It was perfect! It hit the spot and I couldn’t spoon it into my mouth fast enough, so I just started drinking it from my bowl (embarrassing!). You’re right, way better than canned. Next payday, I’m buying your cookbook! Thank you!

    • I’m so happy you found this recipe Diana!😃 Lol, I’ve totally drank this from a bowl before too, I call it “taste testing” lol. Thanks so much for the great comments and for taking the time to leave a review!💗

  6. Seriously annoying to have to scroll up and down the page to try and piece together this recipe. You’ve got all the amounts at the bottom and the instructions at the top so I spend 5 minutes going up and down the page trying to work my way through this

    • Hey Jeremiah, I think you’re looking in the wrong place. The recipe card at the bottom of the post, (you scrolled past it to get to the comments section), has the ingredient quantities at the top, followed by the instructions. It’s a recipe card that is printable. At the top of the post there is a button that says “jump to recipe” that will take you right to it. If you are using any sort of 3rd party app to view my website, that might be jumbling things up for you.

  7. My family loves this recipe!!! So much better than canned cream of chicken!

    • I’m so happy to hear that Rose! I agree, I’ve become such a fan of homemade soups. They make my recipes so much better! Thanks so much for the great review!😃

  8. This was fabulous!!

  9. Should I use 1:1 when substituting flour with corn starch?

    • Hi Amey! I don’t think this would maintain it’s thick consistency if cornstarch is uses as a thickener, it might not work well in this particular recipe. I haven’t tested it with cornstarch either so I’m not quite sure how much would be used in this case.

  10. Easy and taste better then soup you buy!!

    • I’m so happy to hear that Sandy! Homemade soups have helped to elevate so many of my dishes. I pretty much never used store bought. Thanks so much for the great review!😃

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