This recipe for Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup is a quick, wholesome alternative to canned condensed soup. It can be adapted to be dairy-free and gluten-free, giving you a clean, flavorful base to use in any recipe that calls for a can of cream of chicken soup.
If you prefer to avoid canned condensed soups, you don’t have to give up comforting recipes or spend hours in the kitchen. This easy homemade cream of chicken soup takes only minutes to prepare and works well alongside other scratch-made staples like cream of mushroom soup.
Reasons to Love Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup
- Quality control: Store-bought condensed soup often contains preservatives, additives, and high sodium. Making it at home lets you skip those ingredients and reduce sodium.
- Fast to prepare: The recipe is essentially two steps: make a roux and whisk in the liquids to create a thick condensed mixture. It comes together in minutes.
- Allergy-friendly: Easily adapted to be dairy-free and/or gluten-free so you can enjoy favorite recipes regardless of dietary needs.
- Better taste: Fresh ingredients produce a clean, creamy flavor without any artificial aftertaste.
Notes on Ingredients
- Butter: Use unsalted butter or a vegan butter substitute for dairy-free versions.
- Flour: All-purpose flour works as the thickener. Substitute a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend to make the recipe gluten-free.
- Chicken stock: Low-sodium chicken stock or broth helps control the salt level. Homemade stock works well and adds more flavor.
- Milk: Any milk fat level is fine, or substitute unsweetened, unflavored non-dairy milk for a dairy-free option.
- Seasoned salt: A seasoned salt blend adds balanced savory flavor. You can also add a pinch of poultry seasoning for subtle sage and marjoram notes.
Allergy-friendly modifications
These swaps reliably produce either gluten-free or dairy-free versions:
- Gluten-free: Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend in place of all-purpose flour.
- Dairy-free: Use vegan butter and replace the milk with additional chicken stock or unsweetened, unflavored non-dairy milk. Reduce added salt as some dairy-free spreads contain salt and extra broth increases sodium.
How to Use Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup
This homemade condensed cream of chicken soup replaces one 10.75-ounce can in any recipe. It’s perfect as the base for casseroles and comfort dishes like chicken pot pie, creamy chicken and rice, or a creamy Parmesan chicken casserole.
Storage Instructions
Use the condensed soup immediately in your recipe, or let it cool and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It does not freeze well.
More Homemade Pantry Staples
Making sauces, dressings, soups, and spice blends at home saves money and improves ingredient quality. A few useful staples to keep on hand include chili seasoning, taco seasoning, enchilada sauce, and homemade BBQ sauce.
If you try this recipe, leaving a review and comment is always appreciated.
Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, or vegan butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour, or 1:1 gluten-free flour
- ½ cup milk (see notes for non-dairy version)
- ½ cup low-sodium chicken stock
- 2 teaspoons seasoned salt
- ¼ teaspoon poultry seasoning (optional)
Instructions
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In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt ¼ cup unsalted butter (or vegan butter). Whisk in ¼ cup flour to form a thick paste and cook for about 1 minute, whisking constantly to lightly toast the flour.
- Slowly whisk in ½ cup low-sodium chicken stock until smooth, then whisk in ½ cup milk. Season with 2 teaspoons seasoned salt and ¼ teaspoon poultry seasoning if desired.
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Continue whisking over medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens, about 2–5 minutes depending on your pan and heat source.
- Remove from heat. Use immediately in recipes or cool and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
Yield: This makes the equivalent of one 10.75 oz can of condensed cream of chicken soup.
Gluten-free: Substitute a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend for all-purpose flour.
Dairy-free: Use vegan butter and replace the milk with additional chicken stock or unsweetened, unflavored non-dairy milk. Adjust salt to taste.
Poultry seasoning: Optional. Adds a mild mix of sage, thyme, and rosemary.
Storage: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Not recommended for freezing.
Nutrition (approximate)
Nutrition information is an estimate and should be used as a guideline.
This post was originally shared in 2019 and updated in 2023.