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(Condensed) Homemade Cream Of Chicken Soup

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Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup -- perfect for soups and casseroles and SO easy to make homemade! | gimmesomeoven.com

Oh yes. You read that title right. We’re going retro today and talking about one of the staples of my childhood — condensed soups.

Of course, the main reason that most families had (and still have) condensed soups sitting in their pantry is to use them for the other staple of my childhood — casseroles. (So. Many. Casseroles.)

But our family actually bought condensed cream of chicken soup to turn it into its original namesake — a nice hot bowl of cream of chicken soup! And oh boy, did I love that soup. My sister and I would be stoked when we arrived home from school and saw that familiar can sitting out on the stove for dinner that night. And then once I learned how easy it was to whisk together the can of mysterious molded glop with a can of milk and — poof! — magically make soup? Oh yeah. You’d better believe that this soup was on regular rotation in my dorm room when I first learned how to cook.

But sadly, you know where this is going…

Tons of preservatives. Ingredients you can’t pronounce. Processed everything. I know, modernity is a bummer.

Because of such, I sadly haven’t bought a can of condensed soup in years. But when my neighbor Christine brought over a box of canned goods from her pantry the day before she moved, the ol’ craving returned as soon as I saw those familiar red and white cans. And then I desperately wanted soup. And then I wanted casserole. And then I began wondering if I could just make the darn stuff homemade. And as it turns out…you can!

Seriously friends, we should have been doing this from the start. Homemade condensed soups are ridiculously easy. Let me show you.

Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup -- perfect for soups and casseroles and SO easy to make homemade! | gimmesomeoven.com

As I imagined, all that you really need to make condensed homemade cream of chicken soup are four main ingredients: chicken stock, milk (you can use any kind), thickener (flour), and a few seasonings. Oh, and if you want to be like the original, you can also add in some diced cooked chicken. That used to be my favorite part of the soup, back in the day.

Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup -- perfect for soups and casseroles and SO easy to make homemade! | gimmesomeoven.com

In order to thicken the soup, some recipes have you make a roux with flour and butter/oil. Then others have you just cook the flour right in there with the liquids. I made a few test batches of each, and the second method is arguably the easiest (and is pictured below), but you can go with whatever sounds best to you.

The great news is that you can customize these main ingredients however you’d like:

  • Chicken Stock: If you make homemade stock, then you really win the gold star for this one. I was in a hurry so I went with Trader Joe’s organic stock, which I love.
  • Milk: I went with 2% milk, but you can literally sub in just about any kind of milk in this recipe.
  • Flour: Feel free to also experiment with flours. I just went with all-purpose flour this time, but have read success stories with whole-wheat and gluten-free varitities
  • Seasonings: I kept mine fairly simple, since the stock is already pretty well-seasoned. I do like mine a little more on the salty side, since this recipe is meant to be condensed, but feel free to omit the salt and/or use a reduced-sodium chicken stock if desired.

Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup -- perfect for soups and casseroles and SO easy to make homemade! | gimmesomeoven.com

So to make the soup, go ahead and whisk together your milk and flour until the flour is dissolved and the mixture is smooth.

Then bring your stock to a boil in a medium saucepan.

Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup -- perfect for soups and casseroles and SO easy to make homemade! | gimmesomeoven.com

Slowly add in the milk mixture, whisking to combine. Then whisk in your seasonings, and let the mixture come to a very low boil for about 3 minutes or until it has thickened.

Stir in the chicken, if you’d like.

Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup -- perfect for soups and casseroles and SO easy to make homemade! | gimmesomeoven.com

And then your condensed soup is ready to go! It will definitely thicken up even more as it cools and returns to room temperature.

Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup -- perfect for soups and casseroles and SO easy to make homemade! | gimmesomeoven.com

Then either go ahead and use it for a recipe, or store it in a sealed container in the refrigerator. It should keep for up to 1 week.

I used mine to make my favorite — some actual cream of chicken soup — although in my wise old age, I decided to take an extra 10 minutes to add in some extra carrots, onion, celery and chicken. And oh boy, it was like I was 10-years-old again. This totally hit the spot!!! Recipe coming on the blog tomorrow. And also stay tuned for a condensed cream of mushroom soup recipe and even a casserole or two coming soon.

Once I start with the condensed soups, apparently I can’t stop. Enjoy!

Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup -- perfect for soups and casseroles and SO easy to make homemade! | gimmesomeoven.com

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(Condensed) Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.9 from 14 reviews
  • Prep Time: 2 minutes
  • Cook Time: 13 minutes
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: About 2.5 cups 1x

Description

This condensed homemade cream of chicken soup recipe is simple to make, easy to customize, and even tastier than the original canned version!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp. onion powder
  • 1/8 tsp. celery seed (optional)
  • 1/8 tsp. dried thyme
  • 1/4 cup finely diced cooked chicken

Instructions

  1. Add chicken stock to a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat.
  2. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk and flour until the flour is dissolved.
  3. Slowly pour the milk mixture into the boiling chicken stock, whisking to combine. Whisk in remaining seasonings. Reduce heat to medium, and bring the mixture back to a very low boil, stirring constantly so that the bottom of the pan does not burn. Let the mixture boil for about 3 minutes or until thickened. Then stir in the chicken (if using), and remove pan from the heat.
  4. Either use the condensed soup in a recipe immediately, or transfer it to airtight containers and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
  5. *This recipe is NOT meant to be consumed as-is. It is a concentrated soup, which means that it either needs to be diluted to be eaten as a soup, or mixed into a recipe that calls for condensed soup. :)
  6. *I also made a double batch for the photos.

Notes

ALTERNATE RECIPE USING A ROUX:

Heat 2 Tbsp. butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until melted. Add 2 Tbsp. flour, and stir until combined. Let the mixture cook for 2 minutes, or until the flour is cooked and slightly toasted. Then gradually whisk in your stock until the mixture is completely smooth. Stir in the milk and seasonings. (Using the same measurements of stock, milk, seasonings as above.) Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, until the mixture has thickened.

Either use the condensed soup in a recipe immediately, or transfer it to airtight containers and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

*Recipe very slightly adapted from Tammy’s Recipes  and Pinch of Yum.

Edited: There are already lots of comments about canning and/or freezing this condensed soup. I do not recommend canning it because of the milk/dairy. I have heard from readers who have tried freezing the condensed soup that it works, though.

Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup -- perfect for soups and casseroles and SO easy to make homemade! | gimmesomeoven.com

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221 comments on “(Condensed) Homemade Cream Of Chicken Soup”

  1. This recipe does frees freeze well. The fattier the milk you use the better though. I use whole milk when making this. I freeze milk when I can get it on sale. It may not look to pretty at first but once it heats up it will look the same as day one before you put it in the freezer.

  2. I found your wonderful Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup. I make it will them same amount of almond milk as the milk it calls for and I substitute 2T coconut flour for the wheat flour. It is divine and I make it up in 4X batches to freeze. I am beyond excited to have found this recipe. Now with almond flour egg noodles and this soup, I can make comforting chicken and noodles again. My diabetic/gluten intolerant system thanks you!!!

  3. I do canning and have chicken broth and chicken canned and on hand. This will be a great way to use some of it! Can’t wait to sit down to a hot cup of this soup..

  4. Yummy!  I had it eaten in one meal. Organics including: carrots, chicken,green Beans, and Leeks. 
    also made egg noodles and added separately to keep them ardent’ My family wants it again next week! Thanks so much. Kit T.

  5. Can you process this recipe for canning your own condensed chicken soup? If so, please let me know how you would go about it.

    • Hi Brenda! Unfortunately we do not have much experience with canning, and haven’t experimented with processing and canning this.

  6. Is there a way to can this?

    • Hi Harriet! We’re not terribly experienced with canning and haven’t tried canning this for long-term use — we’re sure you can do it if you follow the standard canning process and have everything you need (it sounds like you would need to pressure can this though). We hope this helps!

  7. I made this recipe with steamed fresh vegetables and fresh chicken I cut up and sautéed. I had used a whole quart of chicken stock (Simple Truth, Kroger Family brand of organic line groceries), which turned out to be a lot I wasn’t expecting! So I proportioned the ingredients somewhat, though I was expecting to put a lot of veggies in it to begin with.
    I’m making this for easy-to-fix food this coming week as I’ve had my last treatment of harsh chemo, and the nausea, though controlled, still threatens badly afterward. Last time went for a week. I love cream of chicken with rice, and I wanted to see if this would help me.
    I put the milk in last, after veggies and cooked chicken. If you scale up proportions, TASTE THE SALT; DON’T PROPORTION THAT! I’m hoping that letting it cool and thicken will also meld the flavors. If not, I expected to use it as a cream soup with rice anyway, and the rice can cut the salt taste. I used corn starch as my go-to thickener.

    Lastly, I had cut off the leaves of the celery before I steamed it, leaving them raw. I put them in after I took the soup off the fire.
    Looking forward to it tomorrow!

    • Thanks for sharing this, Virginia! We appreciate you giving this a try, and we hope you enjoy it!

  8. This soup sounds yummy, I’m an avid canner & yes this soup could be successfully canned in a pressure canner. Most thickening agents will not react well with the extreme heat of the pressure canner, so for best results check on line for a product called sure jell, there  are two different types, instant & the type you have to cook, you want the type you cook.
    Sure jell is just a food starch that withstands high temperatures & is used commercially.
    This soup would be processed for the time allotted for a meat product, check your canner instructions or a chart for your altitude.

    • Thanks for sharing all of this with us, Dawn, and we hope you enjoy the recipe! :)

    • I just found this recipe today. I know it had been a few years since this post. But if you have canned it and it works could you please send me the recipe you have been using, with how much sure jell you used. Thank you so much. Have blessed day.

  9. This is evermore good! I mean tasty! I have been disappointed in store bought cream of chicken soup lately. Put it in a casserole, and you get noodles floating in a weepy mess!! I finally gave up making my favorite tuna casserole because it ended up too soupy. I have one in the oven now, and I’ll bet it will hold up. Thanks for a great, and easy, recipe.

    • Thank you, Marjorie — we’re glad to hear you enjoyed it and we appreciate you giving the recipe a try! :)

  10. This is a great recipe.  I found it because I needed a can of cream of chicken soup for a recipe and did not want to run to the store. I used my homemade stock that I keep in the freezer and for milk, I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk. I was really taking a chance with that milk choice but that’s what we drink. Again, I did not want to make a trip to the store. It may have worked so well because of the great flavor of my homemade stock but the result is fabulous. Thank you 

  11. Loved it! Thanks❤️

  12. Is that powdered thyme, or dried thyme leaves? Thanks!

  13. Have you canned this? I,would love to be able to can a big batch for last minute dinners.

    • Hi Jane! We have not canned this, but you could probably follow the standard procedure for canning and we think it could be done!

  14. Hello! Wow – – I can not WAIT to make this recipe! :)
    I have a swallowing disorder and am unable to swallow solid foods. I have literally lived on Campbell’s Cream of Chicken Soup (condensed then I add water), Campbell’s Creamy Tomato Soup (I puree 1 clove of Garlic in every can of the Tomato Soup), 1st stage baby food, Chicken Broth, and Vanilla Ice Cream! I have to puree’ the soups to be able to eat them. (I also make a yummy tomato/onion/garlic based Mixed “Fresh” Vegetable Soup with potatoes that I puree, and mix it half and half with some Creamy Tomato Soup to get my Veggies and call it my “Vit C Antioxidant Soup”! So far, I am pretty healthy on this diet and the baby food banana, sweet potato, and green beans I eat every day and it is already pureed and free of additives/preservatives. (You do what you have to do, to survive!) The Vanilla Ice Cream I drizzle with about 1-2 TBSP’s of extra Virgin Olive Oil – – that is the “fat” in my diet, and all the fat I am getting except from the canned soups. Plus, I love Ice Cream. ;) I eat it every day to keep my weight at a healthy weight.
    I will eat 1-2 cans of the cream of chicken and 1-2 cans of the Creamy Tomato soup every, single, day. Has anyone priced Campbell’s Soups lately??? The price is outrageous….you can not even imagine how much $$$$ I have spent the past 5 years on their soups….ha!
    I am so HAPPY to finally find a recipe for the “condensed” Cream of Chicken Soup! Thank you SO MUCH for posting this. I am going to try it and will let you know how it turns out. Hoping I won’t have to give Campbell’s anymore of my money!! (P.S. I wrote the company a letter telling them a little about myself and that I have literally stayed alive living on their soups for the past 5 years. Could they please send me some coupons maybe, to offset the cost since I buy it in bulk? They said “NO”. Figures!) Now I can make my own, thanks to “you”.
    Have an Awesome Day!!!!! :) God Bless. ♥

    • Hi Angela! Thanks for sharing with us. We’re so sorry to hear about your swallowing disorder, but we’re happy to know you love the Cream of Chicken Soup recipe! All the best to you!

  15. Hi Ali!
    I had a question, can you use this homemade cream of chicken soup to make the Campbell soup casseroles like chicken and rice bake? We like homemade without the MSG and chemicals in store bought soups.

    jacqueline

  16. Hi Ali!
    When making a casserole like chicken and rice bake, it calls for 10 oz of cream of chicken and 1&1/2 cups of water. How much water do you add to dilute the soup?

    Also, This recipe makes about 2 1/2 cups, or the equivalent of two 10-oz cans of condensed soup. How many cups do you need to make 10 oz?

    • Hi Jacqueline! Since this recipe makes the equivalent of two 10-oz cans and your recipe only calls for 10 oz, we would just use half a batch of this, plus 1 1/2 cups of water to dilute it, since that’s what your recipe calls for. We hope you enjoy!

  17. I made this today for chicken pot pie and it turned out exactly like the real thing! Added bonus is it doesn’t have tons of butter like the other recipes. Thank you for sharing!






  18. This is so good! I did substitute 1/4 C of Corn Starch for the flour. My daughter can have the flour but this was so easy to make it Gluten Free. Thanks for the recipe. :)

  19. Hi, I made this recipe and I really enjoyed it! I made a chicken broccoli and rice casserole for my family and the next day one of my kids wanted to take some to school for lunch. I think that’s a good sign. It feels great to be able to make our favorite casseroles again!

  20. This is my new go-to recipe. Really rounds out my chicken pot pie! And comes together quickly, so much better than the canned. Thanks for sharing!






  21. Sounds delicious! I can’t wait to try it! Have you ever tried freezing it? I’m just curious because I would love to have some handy when I need it! Thank you for the recipe!

  22. Perfect, was looking for a good cream of chicken soup recipe. Can you “can” this to keep longer?

  23. I make this with coconut milk and gluten free flour and it is absolutely amazing! SO simple! Thank you for sharing!






  24. Amazing, recipe, I used half chicken broth ,chicken bone broth . I also made double batch .I will be using in a chicken pot pie in two days . Thank you






  25. My new go-to. Quick and easy and with a lot less fat and weird stuff compared to the canned. Thanks for a great recipe!






  26. Great recipe! I was filtering out my “condensed soups” in hopes of making my own. It was perfect for my Don’t Peek Chicken recipe






  27. FYI…for those who are GF, I have made it with GF flour and GF chicken stock (and homemade stock). It’s delicious!






  28. I made this with my chicken stock tonight for some pot pies tonight. So far it tastes amazing but a little pepper forward for my taste. Perfect for my husband. Cant wait to make the pot pies tomorrow! Thank you for sharing.

  29. How much chicken stock, milk, and flour?

  30. This soup was delicious! We almost ate all of it before we could get it in the casserole! Thank you so much! I like whisking the flour into the milk version. There’s too much bleach and conditioners in store bought flour so I make our flour from organic wheat that I sprout, dehydrate and mill. It works great! Sprouting it first makes your body recognize the flour as a vegetable. So it’s very diabetic friendly. The gluten is organic so our bodies have no problem with it. I’m so looking forward to your recipe for cream of mushroom soup! Thank you!!






  31. I made this recipe for use in chicken divan. My daughter cannot eat wheat so I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-1 Baking Mix and it turned out great! It was very easy as well. Thank you!






  32. Thank you for this, my husband makes fresh chicken soup, which is good, but I think it would be better as a cream of chicken. Will be trying this soon.

  33. Perfect!






  34. I apologize if you already answered this question. Is it possible to make the equivalent of one condensed can for a casserole recipe? That is all I ever need and I don’t have freezer space. What would the ingredient measurements be? Thank you so much.

  35. Came out very well. I would probably double the seasonings if I was to dilute this. I use it as is so it was
    fine.






  36. The recipe makes 2.5 cups, but a typical can of condensed soup is only 10.75 ounces. Would you use only half of it to replace a can, or do you use the entire batch?

  37. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

    I had to bypass lots of good looking recipes because they called for “cream of xxx” soup and I didn’t know what to do.

    For yours, I use almond milk, cup4cup multi purpose gluten free flour and gluten free chicken broth.






  38. You can also use cornstarch in place of flour in the first recipe .
    Either way, thank you very much!






  39. I need cream of chicken soup for Mexican chicken casserole today and tried your recipe, thank you for sharing it is the best!






  40. Is this able to be canned?

  41. I freeze my mushroom soup after I make it in airtight containers and can store up to 3 months. I would think you could do the same with cream of chicken soup. I’ve been doing that for over a yr and have had no problems with it.

  42. I use instant potatoes to thicken my creamed soups. It has less calories than flour. Some of the instant potatoes (cheddar cheese and bacon flovor) add a little extra to my cream of broccoli and cream of potato soups.

  43. I apologize if you have already answered this question. Your recipe says you are using stock. The image shows Trader Joe’s broth. I have broth on hand so I am hoping I can make this using broth and it won’t impact the flavor. What are your thoughts on broth versus stock?

  44. Question: is this recipe equal to one can?

  45. Made the soup with rice flour. Turned out great!!