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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 Homemade Poultry Seasoning, or store-bought poultry seasoning
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, melt ¼ cup unsalted butter over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, whisk in ¼ cup all-purpose flour to form a thick paste. Continue to cook for 1 minute to lightly toast the flour, whisking constantly.
- Slowly whisk in ½ cup low-sodium chicken stock, blending well. Once the stock is well combined in the roux, slowly whisk in ½ cup milk and season with 2 teaspoons seasoned salt and ¼ teaspoon Homemade Poultry Seasoning.
- 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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post was originally shared in 2019 but updated in 2023.
Can this recipe be made in a larger batch and be canned in a pressure cooker?
Hi Donna! This recipe can be doubled, tripled, etc. It can be canned using traditional canning methods, but I do not recommend canning in an electric pressure cooker as there is debate it gets things hot enough.
Thank you!
Kristen,
Have you done this? How long and at what pressure did you can yours? I keep reading various articles not recommending pressure canning products with milk and butter and so forth but I wonder if that advice still applies to dairy free milks and butters? hmmm...I'd hate to risk it not being safe but love the idea of it canned with all the ingredients already in the jar!
Hi Lisa. I do not have any experience canning, as I stated. So I can not advise on this. Sorry! I personally recommend making fresh, refrigerating, and using within 3-4 days.
My daughter didn’t even realise that it wasn’t her usual Campbell cream chicken soup. I chose not to tell her either 😜. I tweaked it a little as suggested because I made gluten free version.
I am so glad your daughter enjoyed so much Prmaela!
Can you substitute almond flour for the regular flour in this recipe?
Hi Jackie! I have not tried using almond flour, but I have used gluten free flour with success. If you give it a try, let us know how it turns out for others.
I make this regularly using gluten free flour and ghee. I also add a bit of Better Than Bouillon chicken base for just a bit more flavor. It turns out great!
I also use coconut milk.
So glad I found this! I make so many casseroles and things that include cream of chicken. When my husband found out he can't have dairy, I thought I had to redo my whole recipe book. Not anymore. What would you do for casseroles and things that call for cream of mushroom? Same recipe but just use beef stock? 🤷
Hi Holly! I am so glad you found this recipe as well! Here is my recipe for Cream of Mushroom Soup.
Cooking for my family is sometimes a challenge. There are 4 people in my family. One needs dairy free foods, another needs nut free foods, another needs gluten free foods and my husband is diabetic.
I’m always adjusting recipes, and to quite an extent making two types of the same recipe.
Thank you for this cream of chicken soup recipe. I can safely say I’ll be checking this website a lot.
Cher F.
I am so happy that you found this recipe helpful and hope you find many more here on this site to accomodate your family....food allergies and diabetes are tough to manage. Happy to answer any questions you may have.
Worked out perfectly tysm
I am so glad you had success with this recipe Cindy!
Used this in a casserole recipe and it was so much better than the can! I'm keeping this recipe to use again.
I am so happy you enjoyed Ashley! It really is not much harder than opening a can either!