Cream of Chicken Soup (Condensed), like the kind you find in a can, is a homemade version you can use in casseroles and dips without guilt!
This soup is the third recipe in the series of Kitchen Pantry Recipes I created when I first started this site, which also includes Cream of Cheese Soup.
Sabrina’s Cream of Chicken Soup
One of the questions I get often is, “Hey, I have this family recipe, but it calls for this item I don’t want to buy. Do you have a substitute?” When it comes to canned cream of chicken soup – this recipe perfectly fulfills that! Sure, you could make your favorite dishes with the store bought stuff in a pinch, but if you want to swap for homemade, I am here to make that easier for you. You no longer need to purchase the soup to enjoy your favorite casserole! And be sure to check out my Tips and Tricks section to learn how to make this recipe gluten-free without having to pay extra!
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1/4 cup chopped chicken
- 2 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1 teaspoon celery salt
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 1/4 cup flour
Instructions
- Bring a saucepan with the chicken broth to a simmer with the chicken carcass/chicken meat.
- Remove 1 cup of the broth to a large measuring cup, add in the milk, celery salt, white pepper, onion powder and flour to the large measuring cup and whisk well until fully combined.
- Pour the mixture into the pan in a slow stream while whisking.
- Continue to whisk regularly for 5-7 minutes or until the sauce is thickened (like the canned variety).
- If you used the chicken carcass, remove it and discard it.
Nutrition
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Table of contents
Chef’s Notes
This soup recipe is so easy to make. With just a few ingredients, you’ll make your own in no time, especially when you have leftover rotisserie chicken or chicken stock! If you don’t have a chicken carcass, you can make this condensed soup recipe with any cooked chicken. Also, while many recipes you use a roux to thicken it, I like to use hot broth and whisk it with the flour and seasonings. This makes the soup a little healthier since there is no butter or oil but you still get lots of flavor and its just as thick.
Can this be made ahead of time?
Yes, definitely, homemade Cream of Chicken soup is great for making ahead. It freezes well so its nice to make an extra batch or two that way you have it on hand for a quick casserole just like you would a can of soup. I usually freeze it in 1 ¼ cup increments since that is what comes in the canned variety. The milk won’t curdle, but when you defrost it, whisk it well. Don’t even worry about whisking if it’s going directly into a casserole.
Cooking Tips and Tricks
- Gluten-Free: You can replace the flour with cornstarch. Start with 2 tablespoons mixed in as directed. If you need more, make sure to make a slurry (1 part cornstarch to 1 part water).
- Additional Spices: Feel free to play with the spices as you’d like. I used the ones in the recipe by analyzing the canned variety’s ingredients and flavors. I use this as an ingredient in other recipes. So, I don’t tend to look for the flavor of the recipe to come from this piece of the puzzle as much.
- Getting a Smooth Consistency: If you don’t whisk as much, and it gets a little lumpy, don’t worry. This will be added to forgiving casserole recipes!
How to Store
- Store: Let the soup cool completely, then store in an airtight container for up to 3–4 days.
- Reheat: Reheat gently over low heat, stirring often. If it thickens too much, add a small amount of broth or milk to smooth it out.
- Freeze: Once the soup has cooled, store in separate portions (I do 1 ¼ cup portions). You can freeze it for up to 4 months.
Related Recipes
What to Add Cream of Chicken to
The Following Are Photos Used In The Previous Versions Of This Post
Hi! I buy Cream of Chicken Soup Family Size for just me to drink as a meal soup. I’m looking for a Cream Of Chicken Soup, Mushroom, Broccoli Cheese, and possibly other “Cream Of” Soups. I’m drinking these cans in one sitting pretty much day and night. Questions though,
1. Does this soup eat like a soup one would eat as just a soup?
2. If so, how would I liquify the soup in order for it to remain thick and creamy, but able to be drank out of a mug?
3. How do I increase the serving size?
Thank You For Your Time, And Your Response:
Barb
1. Yes
2. Depends on how big your chunks of chicken is. Entirely up to you.
3. Hover over the “yield” sign in the recipe card and increase to servings desired. Recipe will auto-update.
How do you make this keto-friendly?
I have never tested this recipe to make it keto-friendly. Not a bad idea though.
I have Celiac disease and need to be gluten free…what would the amount of corn starch be for the substitution instead of flour? Tia!
I’m sorry I haven’t tested the recipe with cornstarch so I don’t have a good answer for you. I’d probably just start with a slurry of equal parts cornstarch and water and add a bit at a time until it thickens to the right consistency.
Can you substitute evaporated milk for the whole milk? And if so, how much would you use?
I haven’t tried that substitution so I am not sure how and what to adjust for it, sorry!
Hi Sabrina! Could this also be made with almond milk? What are your thoughts on that?
Hmm, I haven’t tried that and am not sure what it would do to the flavor or consistency, but cooking is all about experimenting! Let me know if you try it and how it turns out! Good luck!
I’m going to use your cream of chicken soup recipe that calls for a can of it. Your recipe says to use 4 cups broth. That seems like a lot of liquid, or will it be OK? I’m using it in a Cheesy Enchilada Crowder. I make homemade cream if mushroom and onion soup for my ranch pork chop recipe in the crockpot. Making the soup homemade is so worth it. Thanks. Nadine
Hi Nadine, it is correct. Hope you enjoy!
So if I use this as cream of chic in can for a recipes do I dilute it with a can of water like campbells? Thanks!
Yes, you would use this just like the canned version.
I didn’t have whole milk on hand when I made your cream of chicken soup recipe last night that I used it in my Chicken Chili Enchiladas. It was so-o good. I made one change because I saw that Campbell’s adds cream to their Cream of Chicken soup. I substituted 1 c. Organic Valley Whipping Cream for 1 of the cups of whole milk. The rest of the milk (1 1/2 c.) I used was Kirkland Organic Low Fat Milk). I was so-o yummy I couldn’t stop tasting it! I thought about leaving out the sour cream in my chicken enchilada recipe, because the soup was so tasty and creamy. It really didn’t need it! Thank you for sharing the recipe! P.S. I can wait to try your Cream of Celery Soup recipe in my “Alfredo Sauce.”
Sounds delicious!! Glad you liked it!
I recently ran across this recipe while trying to find out if I can freeze canned cream of chicken soup. Since there are only 2 of us, I usually scale down casseroles to make 2 small ones (1 for now & 1 to freeze) & a can of soup is too much. I’m very frugal & hate to throw that partial can of soup away. I’m not a huge fan of canned cream of chicken soup flavor so decided to give this recipe a try. Since we hadn’t had a rotisserie chicken in a while, I picked one up for dinner, then the next day proceeded to use that carcass & frozen chicken broth I had. After the carcass cooked for a little while, I just pulled it out of the broth, pulled off those little pieces of chicken & put them aside. I tossed the carcass at this point. The directions were confusing as the last step was to remove the carcass. I think this should have been step #2. That is the only negative thing I have to say about this recipe.
Since I always worry about tiny pieces of bones cooking off a chicken carcass, I strained my broth then put it back in the saucepan (minus the 1 cup). I proceeded with the directions as written (except I had already removed my carcass).
After cooking about 7 minutes I was worried it was a little too thin so I cooked it a couple minutes longer. I didn’t realize how much it would thicken up as it cooled so mine came out a little thicker than I think it was meant to be. Next time I will know this & stop by the 7 minute mark. I got 7 cups out of this; I divided into 1 cup portions, froze 6 & used one to make Tater Tot Casseroles. Normally I think this casserole is a little bland but with this homemade cream of chicken soup, the flavor was so much better! All the seasonings from the chicken carcass/skin + those in this recipe came through in the taste, taking it up several notches.
Is there a way to lighten this up? I have problems with full fat milk. Could I use a1% or fat free?
Sure 🙂
I made this last night to go with with some homemade bread that I’d made the other day. I had been looking for a GOOD recipe for so long to go in my chicken pot pie recipe and as a stand alone soup. It was SOOO good! I added parsley, creole seasoning, onion powder and garlic powder along with a couple of pats of butter. I used the roasted (bone-in) chicken breasts from the night before. WOWSERS!!! It was really good! I’m so happy! I am going to use this for cream of broccoli too. I don’t like cheese in my cream of broccoli soup which seems to be a trend now. I can’t wait to freeze a few batches!
Wow! That does sound amazing!!
Have you ever made this with a dairy free milk alternative?
Because it’s a cream of chicken, I’m not sure there would be an alternative to use that wouldn’t completely change the structure of the recipe. So sorry.
I like this option so much better than the store bought version!
Thank you!
This is genius because you know exactly what is going into it!
You know, I’ve never thought to make my own cream of chicken soup. We use it a lot.
What a great substitute for canned soup!
Thank you Delaney!
LOVE this homemade version… I started making homemade cream of mushroom soup last year and never went back to canned. Now I can do that with cream of chicken too!
Homemade is so much better! Stay tuned for more!!
I’m a bit confused as to how much this makes in total. using 4 c broth (stock) and 2.5 C milk would get you close to 6+ cups? you’re just using the 1 C broth mixed with milk etc to make the roux mixture and to avoid lumps? then you pour everything back into the stock? or does it cook down quite a bit? typical roux is 1 part flour to 1 part fat, but there is no fat in this. I always make stock from my rotisserie chicken leftovers and then freeze it in ziploc bags if not using it right away.
would you suggest freezing the condensed soup the same way? not sure how milk freezes.
It makes about 3 cups, that’s equal to a little over 2 cans worth. You can definitely freeze this recipe and I linked above to amazing containers that I use. Hope this clears up any confusion!
Im still confused about the 4c of chicken broth. Remove 1 cup, add everything, whisk and return to the remainding 3 cups broth??
Yes, after the broth has simmered, remove 1 cup of it, add everything to that 1 cup and whisk. Once whisked, pour that mixture slowing back into the reaming 3 cups of broth. I hope this clears up any confusion.
I’ve never even thought to try to make this at home, but what an awesome idea! So much better for you!
I can’t wait to make this & store it in my freezer for a quick meal. I have avoided so many casserole recipes because they called for condensed cream of chicken & I try to avoid pantry items with too many questionable ingredients. Thank you so much for this. I really enjoy all of the recipes on your blog.
Thank you so much Angela!
Yum! I love cream of chicken soup. Oh my gosh, It makes chicken taste AMAZING! I like to add a little mushroom, just finely chopped. I will have to pass this recipe along to my mom, she will never buy it again.