This recipe for Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup comes together in minutes to create a wholesome substitute for canned cream of chicken soup. Modifications included to make this cream of chicken soup recipe dairy-free and gluten-free.
If you don't care to use canned condensed soups, I have great news for you! You do no not need to give up your favorite comfort food recipes or spend hours in the kitchen cooking! This EASY recipe for homemade cream of chicken soup, along with homemade cream of mushroom soup, makes cooking from scratch easy!
In fact, after you see how quickly this homemade condensed soup comes together, you may wonder why you have been using the canned version for so long.
Reasons to Love Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup
- Quality Control. Canned condensed soup is filled with preservatives, additives, and MSG. Not to mention it is really high in sodium. This recipe for homemade cream of chicken soup leaves those preservatives and allergens on the shelf and is drastically lower in sodium.
- Minutes to Prepare. Cream of Chicken Soup is a simple two-step recipe. It is simply made by making a roux and then whisking in liquid to create a thick condensed soup mixture. It really only takes a few minutes to make homemade cream of chicken soup. And is well worth that minimal effort!
- Allergy-Friendly. You can easily make cream of chicken soup dairy-free and/or gluten-free, meaning you don't have to give up your favorites if you have dietary restrictions.
- Better Tasting. No artificial aftertaste here! This recipe delivers pure, creamy comfort.
Notes on Ingredients
- Butter: Use unsalted butter or your favorite vegan butter for this recipe.
- Flour: Either all-purpose flour or a 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour Blend can be used as the thickener for this cream of chicken.
- Chicken Stock: To control the sodium, use low-sodium chicken stock or broth. Either store-bought or homemade chicken stock works equally well in this recipe.
- Milk: Any fat percentage works in this recipe, as does any non-dairy, unsweetened, unflavored milk.
- Seasoned Salt: I used homemade seasoned salt which is a blend of dried spices that adds just the right flavor, but feel free to use your favorite store-bought brand. You may even want to add a pinch of poultry seasoning for notes of sage and marjoram.
Allergy-friendly modifications
I have had wonderful success using the modifications listed below to make both Gluten-Free Cream of Chicken Soup and Dairy-Free Cream of Chicken Soup.
- Gluten-Free Cream of Chicken Soup: Use a 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour Blend for a gluten-free Cream of Chicken Soup.
- Dairy-Free Cream of Chicken Soup: If you need this recipe to be dairy-free, use additional chicken stock in place of the milk or unsweetened, unflavored non-dairy milk, your favorite dairy-free butter, and reduce the added salt, as non-dairy butter has added salt, and adding additional broth adds quite a bit of sodium as well.
How to Use Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup
This recipe for Homemade cream of chicken soup can be used to replace one (10.75-ounce can) of condensed cream of chicken soup in any recipe.
In fact, it is the building block for some of our favorites: Chicken Pot Pie, Creamy Cheesy Chicken and Rice, and Creamy Parmesan Chicken Casserole.
Storage Instructions
You can either opt to use the condensed soup right away in any recipe of your choice or allow it to cool and store it in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
More Homemade Pantry Staples
Making your own sauces, dressings, soups, and spice blends is a great way to save money and enjoy a more wholesome diet. Below are a few of my favorite recipes to keep stocked at all times in my kitchen.
If you tried this recipe for cream of chicken soup, I would love for you to leave a review and comment below.
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
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, whisk in the flour to form a thick paste. Continue to cook for 1 minute to lightly toast the flour, whisking constantly.
- Slowly whisk in chicken stock, blending well. Once the stock is well combined in the roux, slowly whisk in milk and seasoned salt (and poultry seasoning if using.)
- While still over medium heat, whisk until the mixture comes to a boil and cook until thickened. This takes about 2-5 minutes depending on the pan and heat source.
- Remove from heat and use immediately or allow to cool and then store in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally shared in 2019 but updated in 2023.
Natalie
This is the very best!
Kristen Chidsey
Thank you so much, Natalie!
Jeanne Ray
I ran out of coconut oil and didn't have time to go out for more, so I used mostly olive oil. It turned out fine. Everyone loved the casserole that I used it in. I'll definitely be using this recipe again, even if I don't need to make it dairy-free.Thank you.
Kristen Chidsey
Fabulous! Thank you so much for sharing.
Denise
This is a lovely recipe, I will never use canned again!
Kristen Chidsey
Wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing!
Renee
Can this be made in bulk and canned for a longer shelf life?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Renee! I do not have any experience canning, so I can not advise on this. Sorry! I personally recommend making fresh, refrigerating, and using within 3-4 days.
Kalie
Can this be frozen? I'd like to stock up of possible! 😀
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Kalie! Unfortunately, due to the flour and dairy, this is one recipe that does not freeze well.
Denise Young
Can i use caahew milk instead of almond milk?
Kristen Chidsey
Absolutely! Any unflavored non-dairy milk, besides canned coconut milk will work well in this recipe.
Donja
Made this last night and used for a chicken pot pie recipe with alternative flour and milk. It turned out great!!! I will be saving this for future recipes. Thank you for sharing!
Kristen Chidsey
So happy to hear this recipe helped you enjoy something you may normally not be able to enjoy!
Rene(e), she/her
Hi 🙂 I wanted to say thank you so much for your recipe! It was way easier than I expected it to be when looking up cream of chicken recipes and with quick and already on hand ingredients! You helped me pay tribute to a deceased friend with a food that was very special to her and help bring a positive spin (and taste 😀 ) to a hard day. She loved Cream of Chicken and despite all her health/appetite/dietary issues it was soothing to her. I have a sensitivity to gluten so avoid it but now I have a stress free way to honor her. Even being low energy as I often am, I was able to make it. That night i had it with a chicken burger and the next with hotdogs. Next I want to try tater tot casserole! 😀 One more thing I love about this is I can also make sure my allium (garlic/onion and related) intolerant sister can also have the sauces with me and not feel poorly afterward because the seasoning is so customizable! 😀 (I did mine with curry, paprika, white pepper and black pepper that night).
I plan to explore more of your page now and share it with others.
Kristen Chidsey
Oh I am so sorry to hear about your friend. But food is a beautiful way to celebrate your friend and revisit the memories you made.
Erin
I've been using this for a couple years and my family loves it!
Kristen Chidsey
I love hearing that Erin! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment!
Sonya
Can you use vegetable broth to make it vegetarian?
Kristen Chidsey
YES and that is a great idea!
Beth
Hello,
I saw your recipe and wanted to try this as my son has a dairy allergy, and I want to make a potato bake for him sometime. I tried this but have a few questions. I’ve never made a roux before, so Ive been searching internet for tips. In your recipe you have a lot of butter and flour. Other sites say 1tbs butter /1tbs flour, so I am not sure if what I made worked.
I had to use nutalex (vegan margarine) and soy milk. The end result looks like a very sticky paste. I wisked but it is still very thick. Do you think I didn’t have my fat ratio correct as it was hard to get the nutalex out of measuring cup. Is it meant to be a thick texture because of the 1/4 cup measurement?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Beth! This recipe is to be quite thick. A roux is simply made with equal parts fat and flour and can be made in any quantity. This recipe for roux was based on what was needed to mimic canned cream of chicken. Again, it is supposed to be quite thick, almost like pudding. Hope that helps to clarify.
Stephanie D.
Do you "can" your own or make as you go? I am interested in canning it, but not sure how long to put in pressure canner.
Can't wait to try this.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Stephanie. I am not an expert at canning, so I can not advise on how you would do this. I personally make as I go along.