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!
Thank you! I was short a can of soup and found this! It was easy to make and tasted amazing.
I am so happy that you were able to avoid a store run, those are the worst! LOL. Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave a review I really appreciate it! -Stephanie
I haven’t tried this yet, but I fully intend to! Just recently found you and have made quite a few things with nothing but great reviews! Thank you!
That is so great to hear Jackie!! I can’t wait for you to try the cream of chicken and am SO happy that you’ve enjoyed the other recipes!!! WOOO!!! -Stephanie
Would you add water or milk to actually make it as soup? How much water or milk would you add? I love cream of chicken soup and really want to make it, but not mess it up! We are trying to be low sodium so canned soups out out now. Thanks for the recipe!
I would add about 10.5 ounces of milk (the same amount as a can of condensed), and then you can gauge and adjust from there! 🙂 Simmer longer to make it thicker, add more milk to make it thinner. Enjoy!
Made this tonight as I didn’t realize I was out of cream of chicken soup for a pot pie recipe I was making.
I just used the “better than bullion” paste and put that in water, rather than in chicken stock and it came out great. I also subbed milk for heavy cream (only had almond milk, and the cream needed to get used before it went bad).
Would make again for sure. Thanks for putting this recipe up, very helpful and flavorful.
Thanks for the great review Victoria! I use this Cream of Chicken Soup in a lot of meals. It’s so much better than using the canned stuff😋
I’ll never buy canned chicken soup again. This was easy to make and inexpensive and tastes phenomenal!
I’m so happy to hear that Joan! I ditched canned soups awhile ago and I swear it’s made such a difference in my meals. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!😍
Amazing! I wanted chicken pot pie and this fit the bill for the sauce. ❤️
This is SO perfect for a chicken pot pie filling, I’m so glad that you enjoyed it Jan, thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review!! -Stephanie
Can evaporated milk be used for this recipe? Thank you.
Hi Vida, I haven’t tested that out for this recipe but I do think that would work fine!
Stephanie, I am an American living in Greece and I have missed the availability of canned Cream of Chicken Soup so very much because while home in America I used it in making some wonderful dishes. Crazy me never thought about making it from scratch until tonight when I ran across this WONDERFUL recipe. You don’t know how much this means to me! Thank you, thank you!!
Hi Kay! I am SO happy that you are now able to recreate this at home!! I felt the same way when I discovered this recipe, it’s a life saver! Thank you so much!! 🙂 -Stephanie
This is my go-to recipe for cream of chicken soup! I never buy the canned anymore.
I’m so happy to hear that Dawn! I stopped using cans of soup awhile ago and have never looked back! It really makes such a difference. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment and leave a review!😃
Sweetie, there is much too much salt in your recipe.
Hi Irene, the notes section addresses this topic for those who prefer to use less salt. This is also a condensed soup that is later thinned out with the addition of milk or other ingredients.
“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.”