The Cozy Cookbook is here! 
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
- 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
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!
I cant wait to try this. Does this have 434 calories in it?
Hi Holly! This recipe makes 2 “cans” of condensed soup, each would be 434 calories.
This is the first time I have ever made a cream soup from scratch. I must say it was absolutely delicious and I’m glad now I was out of the Campbell’s. I didn’t feel like going to the store, so looked up a recipe on how to make your own. So glad I did. I will never buy Campbell’s again. Thank you so much. The only change I made is I didn’t have celery salt so I used a little bit of celery seed. It was still delicious.
It’s so funny I started making this when I ran out of Campbells one day too. I’m so happy I did too, this has made such a huge difference in my recipes. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review Susan!💖
Thank you so much for this recipe and step by step directions. I have Celiac and can’t use store-bought condensed soups nor do I want all those additives. I came looking for a how to so I could make chicken spaghetti on this stormy night we have. I forgot to take a picture but I can’t believe it was so easy. I’m from TX and one thing I should know how to do is make a rue but I either get too impatient or somehow I’ve messed it up in the past and ended up with lumps. This turned out so perfect.
I’m so happy this recipe has helped you Shelly! I love not using store bought soups anymore. Healthier and makes a huge difference in flavor. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment and leave a review!💗
What gluten free flour did you use for this? My daughter also has celiac and am interested in making this. Thank you
Omg. Delicious and easy. Very cheat and precise instructions. My husband wanted to drink this for dinner!
I’m so happy this was such a hit Judy! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!💗
Oh, this was such a welcome find! Thank you for posting this cream of chicken soup recipe! My quite young hubby was diagnosed with high blood pressure this week so I was looking for a “cream of” soup that I could tweak to have less sodium. Cans of anything are sodium insane. Probably why they last so dang long lol. Anyhow, we didn’t need survival rations tonight, and this made the old fashioned ritz chicken casserole so ridiculously delicious even if lower salt. We just skipped the ritz on my husband’s side of the dish and it suited all of us. He raved! The kids scoffed it up. It tastes decadent with its homemade cream of chicken soup/sour cream chicken mixture and it is on the carb-y comfort side, but I subbed brown rice for white and kept the veggies on the side as it was “mwah, delicious!” Definitely a keeper cream of soup!
I’m so happy you found this recipe Christy! It’s so true, there is so much sodium in the cans, you can’t beat homemade soups. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment and leave a review!😀
Wish I could rate this 6 or more stars… It was fantastic… Thank sooo much Stephanie !!!
Excellent, I am so happy to hear that Gary, thank you so much! 🙂
Used for sour cream chicken enchiladas. Best ever!!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it Karen!! 🙂
Great recipe! I was making dinner and realized someone used my last so I had hoped I could find a recipe with just kitchen staples and this is AMAZING! Only thing I did different was I had a can of evaporated milk in the pantry so I used that instead of whole milk. It’s a rich a creamy dream! I’ll never buy the can again!
I’m with you Lynn, I pretty much never buy canned soup anymore. Homemade soups makes such a big difference in my recipes, I’m so happy you found this one! Thanks so much for the great comments!😃
Oh my gosh. I will never again buy that “stuff” in a can. It always kinda grossed me out how it just globbed out of the can. But this. Oohhh THIS buttery, creamy deliciousness is out of this world. I could just eat this plain. You have changed my whole world!!! It was soooo yummy. I didn’t have celery salt. What could I use instead next time?
I am so happy that you loved it Caroline!!! 🙂 I would actually try purchasing some celery salt if you can, it’s a great way to add a hint of savory celery flavor to dishes! Otherwise, you can just omit it from this recipe!
Perfect! Campbells is getting more and more expensive to the point that I really can’t afford it. 1.75 at the store yesterday and I just walked on by, The knock off store brands are horrible. This is perfect. I’m so excited to have access to cream of chicken soup. It was inexpensive to make. I used coconut oil instead of butter, powdered whole milk, knorr restaurant chicken bullion, that was what I had on hand, and it turned out perfect..
I am so happy to hear that! I have definitely noticed the price of the canned versions skyrocketing, and have done my own calculations on how much it is to make the homemade version of this as well as my cream of mushroom soup recipe, and making the homemade version is definitely worthwhile on the wallet and the end result is so much better! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, I really appreciate your support! 🙂 -Stephanie