Today I am showing you how to make your own homemade condensed cream of chicken soup.
With the holidays just around the corner, this would be a great recipe to keep in your arsenal. Making this is so super easy (and cheap!) that you may never buy the canned stuff again.
You can use this in any casserole that calls for a can of condensed soup, such as my mushroom chicken.
And it is made with a few simple ingredients.
How to make condensed cream of chicken soup
First, gather your ingredients.
Ingredients
For tastiest results, always use the best quality ingredients you have access to. To make homemade cream of chicken condensed soup, you will need the following:
- Butter
- all purpose flour
- milk
- chicken stock or broth
- garlic powder
- salt and pepper
How to make a béchamel
In a small sauce pan, melt butter over medium low heat. Add flour to the pan, and whisk together to make a roux (about 1 to 1.5 minutes)
Add the liquids – chicken broth and milk, and whisk together to smooth out the lumps. Note: True béchamel uses only milk for the liquids. We are adding the chicken stock/ broth for that chicken flavor.
Season and simmer
Stir in garlic salt.
Bring to a simmer and continue cooking until mixture thickens, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Remove from heat and use as you would a regular can of condensed soup.
Storing homemade cream of chicken condensed soup
This should be good in the refrigerator for about a week, depending on the freshness of your ingredients.
Whether you are avoiding a bunch of sketchy ingredients you cannot pronounce, or if you want to skip the extra trip to the store…this is a fantastic substitute for condensed cream soup. I have tried it in just about every recipe that I previous used canned condensed soup in. And it works great!
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Homemade Cream Condensed Soup
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons salted butter
- 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup chicken stock or broth
- 1/2 cup milk any type (I am using 1%)
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt (you can sub 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder + 1/4 teaspoon salt)
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- In a small sauce pan, melt butter over medium low heat.
- Add flour to the pan, and whisk together to make a roux (about 1 to 1.5 minutes)
- Add the chicken broth and milk, and whisk together to smooth out the lumps.
-
Stir in garlic salt.
- Bring to a simmer and continue cooking until mixture thickens, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Remove from heat and use as you would a regular can of condensed soup.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
This recipe can be used to substitute for one can of cream condensed soup in any recipe.
I hope you enjoy this recipe. Pin it and try it for yourself!
Rhyland says
How will substituting the all purpose flour with whole wheat flour affect this recipe?
Thanks
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Hi Rhyland. I have not tried this myself, and I am not sure how it would work out. The only substitute I am aware of that would work is corn starch in place of the flour to make it gluten free. I am not sure whole wheat would thicken as much as all purpose.🤔
James Thompson says
tHANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING THIS. I live in Mexico, and cream of chicken soup is not often available here, and I use it in several recipes. I will be making this soon.
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Yay James!
stacey reynolds says
would you use 3 tablespoons of corn starch?
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
I have not done this myself, but others have used equal amounts. I hope you enjoy it!
Christi says
How do you think the 1:1 ratio bob’s gluten-free flour would work? Thank you!!
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Hi Christi! I have not used that, but I think it would work just fine. Let me know if you try it! I did have a friend use corn starch in place of the flour and she said that worked well too, FYI.
Francine says
I have made this with Otto’s Cassava flour to make it Paleo/GF/Grain Free and it was delicious! For the MushroomI used Vegetable Stock and finely chopped Baby Portbellas and a tablespoon of Marsala (optional) in the roux…. fantastic! I used the cream of chicken soup to make a Chicken Divan and everyone loved it.
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Yay, Francine! I am glad to know it worked with that type of flour. Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback.🙏🏻💖
Trina says
What is the substitution amount of cornstarch for the flour?
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Hi Trina! One of my friends who tried it successfully did it 1:1 substitution, from what I can tell. She writes about it over here: https://www.southernkissed.com/green-bean-casserole/
Eve says
Thank you for this very helpful post!
I’m making it now… When do you add the salt and garlic?
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
I have updated the instructions. I usually add it after I’ve whisked in the milk and broth. Alternatively, you could add it in with the flour. Thanks for speaking up!
Janice O'KEEFE says
Delicious,thank you. Do you think the finished soup would freeze well?
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
I am not sure if it would freeze well. Since there are no artificial thickeners, it may separate out a bit.
Jenny says
How long can you store in refrigerator? I’d like to make over the weekend for use during the week.
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Hey Jenny! That should work fine. I’d say at least a week or so in the fridge, depending on when your ingredients expire.
Jennalee says
I freeze mine when I make it and while it does separate a bit, it works perfectly fine for recipes that I put it in! If you give it a good stir it starts to come together again, too.
This recipe is great, I make mine with whole wheat flour to feel even better about it! Haha
Asa says
I’m running out of milk, so I subsituted a little of the milk with creamcheese as it is going to be in a pie anyway… and oh my god, the sauce tastes delicious, going to exciting to see how it turns out tonight! 🙂
Myheartbeatismusicf says
I wanted to make Campbell’s biscuit chicken pot pie but I didn’t have condensed cream of chicken soup. I tried this recipe and it worked out wonderfully! I usually make rouxes homemade to my liking for things such as gravy and macaroni & cheese sauce. This was just what I needed to make the recipe! Thanks so much!
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Yay, glad you enjoyed it!
Kristi at tasty, easy, healthy says
Thank you so much for sharing! I made this recipe this morning and it came out great.
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Yay Kristi! I am glad you enjoyed it.
Barbara Carter says
Question – the recipe shown says it has 6 servings in it at 76 Calories per serving. What amount of the serving size referring to and if it is dilute, what is the liquid used and the amount. Thank you
Debbie.rvi@gmail.com says
Is this the same as canned version BEFORE diluting? Some recipes call for using the soup straight from the can without diluting it.
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Yes, this is a replacement for an undiluted can of cream-of-anything soup.👌🏻
Ginny says
Have used this several times now, most recently with homemade cashew milk and water (out of Stock!), using garbanzo bean flour to make it gluten-free and adding some extra seasonings to boost the flavor (because no stock). Works fabulously! Thanks!
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Yay Ginny!
Cathy says
You could also use corn starch for gluten free version
Cathy
Andria says
Could I make this recipe and can it?
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Hi Andria! I have gotten this same question before, and honestly I am not sure. I am not a canning expert. I wish I knew!
tkh says
Short answer: NO, you should not try to can this recipe.
long answer — curdling + deadly bacteria (see process description):
1) Palatability: This recipe includes milk (or cream, if you prefer a thicker gravy-like condensed soup). Either way, milks, creams, etc — they don’t can well. They curdle at the canning temperatures.
2) This is a low-acid food. Because of this, you’ll have to use a pressure canner, not a simple canning bath to can it. That will push the temperature even higher; meaning, I can’t see any way for it not to curdle. It’s just not going to come out well on the usability scale.
3) Finally, this has a thick, gravy-like consistency that won’t ‘move’ with the heat of the canning process. In other words, most things that you pressure-can have a water base or some other very viscous fluid — the fluid roils and swirls and moves inside the canning jar with the hot currents. That movement helps transfer the heat throughout the jar, so that all contents are exposed to the high heat that kills off harmful or deadly bacteria. But this recipe makes a very thick soup. As I said, which you can think of as a very thick gravy. You will get a couple column convection bubbles, but It’s unlikely that it will ‘move’ as much as it needs to. It’s almost guaranteed that The higher (required!) temperature for killing off bacteria will NOT be achieved all the way through the soup. And that means deadly bacteria in an anerobic environment, happily lurking and eating that soup and multiplying throughout. It’s unsafe. More, it could be deadly. I just wouldn’t do it.
The thickest soups I’ve canned were cream-based soups (not condensed) and curries. All of them curdled, but adding a little fresh heavy cream or coconut cream and whisking vigorously helps smooth out the curdled base in the final cooking (after decanting). I have found no real difference in canning a dairy-cream-based vs. a coconut-cream-based soup or curry. I don’t use coconut milk anymore; it’s too light and doesn’t provide the consistency of a nice cream-based soup/curry.
Hope this helps.
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us!!🙏🏻
William says
The USDA-Chfp does not recommend canning any foods containing dairy (butter, milk, cream, cheese) as the high protein and fat content create uneven heating and can allow harmful bacteria to survive the pressure canning process. The high heat and pressure can also cause dairy to curdle giving it a chunky texture and bitter taste. Better off freezing instead
Rachel says
Is this a recipe you can make ahead? Or one you can keep in your refrigerator? Or just a right before the meal? I’m always using cream of chicken seems like but don’t always have broth on hand. Thanks!
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Hi Rachel. Great question! Yes, you can make ahead and keep in your refrigerator in an airtight container.👍🏻