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Cream of Chicken Soup Recipe

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★★★★★

4.7 from 106 reviews

This homemade Cream of Chicken Soup recipe provides a rich, creamy, and smooth alternative to canned condensed soup. Made from simple pantry ingredients like butter, flour, chicken broth, and milk, it offers a wholesome base for casseroles, sauces, and soups without preservatives or unnecessary additives. With easy step-by-step instructions and tips to enhance flavor and texture, it’s a perfect kitchen staple.

Ingredients

Scale

Base Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • ½ cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 chicken bouillon cube or 1 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon (optional)
  • 1 cup milk (preferably whole, but any kind works)

Seasonings

  • ⅓ teaspoon celery salt
  • ⅓ teaspoon onion powder
  • ⅓ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ⅓ teaspoon salt
  • ⅓ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

  1. Whisking preparation: It’s important to whisk continuously throughout the cooking process to ensure a smooth, lump-free soup base.
  2. Temper the milk: Microwave the milk for 45 seconds to warm it. This step helps prevent curdling and lumps when added to the hot mixture. Set the milk aside.
  3. Melt the butter: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt 4 tablespoons of butter fully. Wait until it begins to foam, which should take about 3 minutes.
  4. Create the roux: Gradually sprinkle in the flour (½ cup plus 2 tablespoons) while whisking constantly for 3-5 minutes, until the mixture resembles wet sand in texture. Remove the saucepan from heat.
  5. Add chicken broth in stages: Pour in one-third of the chicken broth and whisk thoroughly. Add the next third, whisk again to blend smoothly.
  6. Add remaining ingredients: Add the last third of chicken broth along with the chicken bouillon cube or paste, warm milk, and all seasonings (celery salt, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper). Whisk continuously to combine well.
  7. Cook and thicken: Return the saucepan to medium heat and bring the mixture to a near boil while whisking constantly. Once it reaches a thick consistency, remove it immediately from heat.
  8. Allow to thicken: The soup base will continue to thicken as it cools and stands.
  9. Optional straining: For extra smoothness, strain the soup through a fine mesh sieve to remove any lumps or graininess.
  10. Usage: Use this homemade cream of chicken soup as a direct substitute for two (10.5 oz) cans of condensed cream of chicken soup in any recipe.

Notes

  • Adding chicken bouillon: Enhances the concentrated chicken flavor to better mimic canned condensed soup, especially useful if you use store-bought broth rather than homemade stock.
  • Reducing sodium: Use unsalted butter and low-sodium chicken broth or bouillon. You can also omit added salt to reduce salt content further.
  • Storage: Refrigerate for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 4 months. The soup may separate slightly when reheated, but whisking will quickly bring it back together.
  • Storage containers: Use freezer-safe soup containers for freezing. This soup is not suitable for home canning due to dairy content.
  • Try next: Consider making my homemade condensed cream of mushroom soup as a complementary recipe.

Keywords: cream of chicken soup, homemade cream soup, condensed chicken soup substitute, creamy chicken soup base, easy chicken soup recipe

Find it online: https://busyrecipe.com/cream-of-chicken-soup-recipe/