Make this quick recipe in place of a can of Cream of Chicken Soup the next time you need it for a healthier alternative to condensed soup.
Have you ever stopped to read the list of ingredients in a few of your pantry staples? I try to cook with only foods that have ingredients that I can use in my kitchen. Yes, that means some foods don’t last as long without all of the preservatives, but they also taste better and are generally healthier. For example, look at the nutrition and ingredients for a can of Cream of Chicken Soup from the grocery store. The ingredients aren’t horrible but look at the amount of sodium in one serving!
If you use the canned stuff, it would be about 2,175mg of sodium! Plus the monosodium glutamate that gives me headaches. And that’s before you add any other ingredients to your meal such as homemade casseroles.
There are a few of my favorite recipes I have that call for cream of chicken soup. [See Chicken and Broccoli with Garlic Cream and Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings.] So, instead of writing those recipes off as goners, I decided to do some research (aka hit Google and Pinterest) to find some recipes to make a creamy soup at home. I came across this one and decided it was worth a try. The ingredients are all ones that we always have, and it didn’t take long.
I needed two cans of soup for my recipe, so I made a double batch. After your homemade condensed cream of chicken soup has been cooked and cooled, you can transfer it to an airtight jar to keep in the refrigerator for a day or two. I made mine the night before I needed it, then used it the following day.
It will thicken a lot in the refrigerator, so if you need it soup consistency you’ll want to make it right before using it. I knew mine was going in the slow cooker, so it would have time to warm up in there.
Serving Suggestions & Tips
- Make sure to stir often so the soup doesn’t scald and stick to the bottom of the pan.Â
- Add in mushrooms for cream of mushroom soup or celery for cream of celery soup.Â
- Use this to make creamy chicken noodle soup or mix it into your favorite casseroles.Â
- Keep these simple ingredients on hand so you can always make a quick cream of chicken soup alternative.Â
- You can add leftover chicken pieces or rotisserie chicken for a creamy chicken soup recipe.Â
- This is a great recipe to double or more and save for later.Â
- Make this dairy free by using almond milk in place of the whole milk.Â
- Your own homemade version can be completely from scratch by using homemade chicken stock.Â
Cream of Chicken Soup Step by Step
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Preparation
Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.
Whisk in the flour and stir the flour mixture continuously for about 1-2 minutes. Add the chicken broth and milk, whisking until it’s well combined and there are no lumps.
Add the garlic powder and pepper to the milk mixture, then stir to combine.
Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and continue cooking and stirring until the mixture thickens (about 2-3 minutes).
Remove the soup from the heat and use in place of a can of Cream of Chicken soup. Or, refrigerate once cooled to use within 7 days.
Cream of Chicken Soup Leftovers
Storage: Let the leftover cream soup come to room temperature before placing it in an airtight container or storage jar such as a mason jar. Refrigerate for up to 7 days.
Reheating: For the best results, reheat your own cream of chicken soup in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring often, until warmed through, about 5-10 minutes. If it’s too thick, add a little bit of chicken broth, milk, or heavy cream.
Recipe
Originally Published On: January 15, 2018
Last Updated On: October 12, 2024
Cream of Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan
- Whisk in the flour until completely combined
- Pour in the chicken broth and milk, whisking until there are no lumps
- Add the garlic powder and pepper
- Bring to a simmer and stir continuously until it thickens, about 2-3 minutes
- Remove from the heat and use in place of one can of Cream of Chicken Soup
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
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Cream of chicken soup is one of my favourite flavours! This recipe looks nice and simple and not too many ingredients either so I might give it a try! It looks delicious!
It was just the right flavor to add to recipes without all the extra crap that the canned stuff has.
Looks like a good recipe for a cold night. Definitely something a lot of people need in the Midwest right now.
Luckily we warmed up again today, but it’s supposed to get cold again. I do notice that almost every recipe that needs the soup as an ingredient is a warm recipe and this tastes so much better than the canned soup.
Sounds so good! I love a god soup recipe for the winter months!
I’ve never eaten this on its own as a soup, but it goes great in other soups and casseroles.
I’ve always known that canned foods tend to have a high sodium content but I never expected it to be that outrageous! Thank you for giving us a healthier, easy-to-make alternative!
It’s crazy! I’ve been looking at both the nutrition facts and ingredients which is why I’ve also been trying to come up with tastier and healthier alternatives.
That’s a lot of sodium for that little can. Just looking at the seasoning in your recipe, I’m sure it’s filled with lot of yummy flavor!
And if you look at the serving size and servings per can, that isn’t even for the entire can!
I am not a fan of campbells soup because they just taste like salt to me so doing my own would be awesome! And then I could enjoy it again!
I never realized just how little flavor is really in something like this until I started making my own to compare. You should try this, it’s really easy and doesn’t take long at all.
Wow! The salt amount is ridiculous! I had no idea cream of chicken soup was so easy to make and actually just needs a couple of ingredients!
The salt is what made me start looking for an alternative!
What a clever idea! I never would have thought of trying to DIY this, since I so rarely make things using condensed soup – what a great idea, though, for those rare occasions when I do!
I don’t use them too often either and stopped making recipes that called for it because of the sodium and other crap in there. When I had a craving for a meal with the Cream of Chicken soup, I knew I needed to find a better alternative.
I am currently trying to eliminate a lot of the processed foods we eat in our house, this is really a good idea.
We try not to use them either. This was a great replacement for the canned soup!
I love being able to make things from scratch rather than buying them canned. This is a great recipe to have!
The taste is so much better and doesn’t have near as much sodium or other ingredients in it when you make it at home.
It is great that you give us a home made alternative to canned products! This is so much healthier! thank you!
So happy to help! There are so many unnecessary ingredients in the canned foods that we don’t need.
I also am a big fan of using what I have. Overall, this recipe seems simple to make. You could just add a few vegetables in after making it to add a little variety or eat it as is!
That would be interesting. I’ve never eaten this plain as a soup, but always use it as an ingredient in a meal.
Canned and other pre-made food does tend to have a lot of sodium. Thank you for creating this healthy alternative! I’m going to share it with my mom because she uses cream of chicken a lot!
Mine still ends up with a decent amount of sodium, but the rest of it is much healthier. And it’s always better when you can make from scratch. The flavor difference alone makes it worth it!
Chicken soup is the perfect meal for fall season, what I love most about this recipe is how easy is to make it.
I love finding easy alternatives for processed foods. It’s so easy to put together.
My favorite space for delicious recipes treated me to another wonderful one to my collection. I loved the taste and aroma. Was pleased with the result.
Thanks as always! You’re right, it not only tastes fresh, but smells so much better than canned soup!
Thank you for sharing such a wonderful recipe. Looks so yummy and seems to be a perfect recipe for tonight.
If you are making a recipe with Cream of Chicken in it, this is definitely the way to go!
What a refreshing soup!
Thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed it 🙂