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This Cream of Chicken Soup substitute recipe works great as a soup starter or in casserole type recipes that call for a can of condensed cream soup as a base. We have several recipes on our site that use “cream of” soups and we always get asked about a substitute.
Table of Contents
- Ingredients in Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup
- A Tastier Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup Substitute
- Substitute Ratios
- Step by Step Instructions
- How to Store Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup
- Frequently Asked Questions about Cream of Chicken Soup Substitute
- Try these recipes using Cream of Chicken Soup
- How to Make Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
- Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup Substitute Recipe
This easy homemade cream of chicken soup recipe can be made in just a few minutes with ingredients that are most likely already in your kitchen. It’s quick to whip up when you’re making a recipe that requires a creamy chicken soup as an ingredient. Condensed cream of chicken soup is a pantry staple that we use all the time, but it tastes so much better when you make it fresh in your own kitchen. This recipe can be used to dress up all sorts of chicken recipes.
Ingredients in Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup
Use this delicious, homemade soup substitute next time you’re making cooked chicken and vegetables, or with all sorts of recipes. Here’s what you need:
- Butter – use about six tablespoons.
- All purpose flour – about two-thirds cup, which you’ll mix together with the butter to create a roux. That’s what gives the soup its thick, creamy texture.
- Milk – two-thirds cup, or more if the roux seems too thick. For an extra creamy texture, you can add a dash of heavy cream or half-and-half.
- Chicken broth or chicken stock – you can use low-sodium broth to control the amount of salt in the recipe.
- Garlic powder – a quarter teaspoon.
- Onion powder – also a quarter teaspoon.
- Salt and pepper – to taste
- Optional ingredients: add parsley, thyme or a bay leaf while the soup simmers to give it extra flavor and garnish.
A Tastier Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup Substitute
We can all agree that this soup recipe is fantastic, but if you are wondering why this is better than its canned counterpart, here’s the deal: this version has the same tasty consistency and texture as canned cream of chicken soup, without any of the artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives. Additionally, this recipe tastes even better than the canned one, thanks to real ingredients. Oftentimes, when using canned condensed soup, the artificial ingredients can overpower the taste of everything else in the dish. Using this version recipe makes every recipe taste better.
Substitute Ratios
Keep in mind that this recipe is condensed, so if the recipe calls for a cream of chicken, mushroom, or celery soup continue to add water or chicken stock to reconstitute it.
- Use 1 ⅓ cups of this condensed cream of chicken soup to replace a standard 10 oz can.
- This recipe makes 2 2/3 cups which is equivalent to 2 cans of condensed cream soup.
This substitute does have a slight chicken flavor because of the chicken broth used. However, you can add more chicken bouillon if you want to have more chicken flavor. Replacing cream of mushroom or cream of celery soup in a recipe? You will want to add cooked mushrooms, celery, or celery salt to the recipe, to give it the correct flavor. Or, simply try our cream of mushroom soup recipe!
Step by Step Instructions
Making your own condensed cream of chicken soup substitute is so easy, you’ll have it done in just five simple steps.
- Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat to medium-low heat.
- Add some all purpose flour to the melted butter and stir until it makes a paste.
- Whisk in milk and chicken broth to the mixture. Whisk briskly until all the flour paste is dissolved, and make sure to get all of the flour from the edges of the pan to avoid lumps in the flour mixture.
- Add garlic and onion powder, salt and pepper to taste.
- Continue to whisk and heat thoroughly until the condensed soup is smooth and creamy.
How to Store Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup
Use immediately warm in all sorts of recipes. If you’re not using it right away, cover and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Frequently Asked Questions about Cream of Chicken Soup Substitute
The all purpose flour is only used to thicken the soup. You can substitute with keto thickeners like Xanthan gum.
You should be able to store the soup in the freezer, tightly covered, for up to two months. To thaw, defrost in the microwave or warm on the stovetop.
Add small amounts of milk and broth to your soup until your desired consistency. Remember this recipe is for condensed soup, so it will be much thicker than regular soup.
READ MORE: 30+ Chicken Breast Recipes
Try these recipes using Cream of Chicken Soup
How to Make Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup Substitute
Ingredients
- 6 Tbsp butter
- 2/3 cup flour
- 2/3 cup milk
- 2/3 cup chicken broth or chicken stock
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.
- Add flour to the melted butter and mix into a paste.
- Whisk in milk and chicken broth ⅓ cup at a time. Whisk briskly until all the flour paste is dissolved making sure to get all of the flour from the edges of the pan. Add garlic and onion powder, salt, and pepper.
- Continue to whisk and heat thoroughly until the condensed soup is smooth and creamy.
Video
Notes
- Use 1 ⅓ cup to replace one 10 ½ ounce can of cream of chicken soup in recipes.
- This recipe makes the equivalent of 2 cans of cream of chicken (or mushroom or celery) soup.
- If not using immediately, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
I made mine vegan using Miyoko’s butter, plant milk and veggie stock. I used more veggie stock than was called for to make it not so thick but it was a perfect substitute for the condensed soup in a can. Thanks!
I needed a dairy free version for my family. I use lactose free milk and this works perfectly. So delicious!
I just found your website this morning … looking for a creamy chicken sauce (soup substitute) because, over the years, I’ve come to realize how much is added to canned soups. I was excited to find yours and will be trying it soon. As equally excited about this recipe, I was excited to find that your website is so user-friendly and pleasant to look through. Thanks for working hard to make this wonderfully easy to use and enjoy!! I’ll be back to check out more of your recipes.
I would love to try this, but I’m keto and avoid flour other than almond or coconut flours. Is there another option besides regular flour? Not sure almond flour or coconut would work.
Anyone have ideas?
Thanks for asking! The flour is only used to thicken the soup. There are keto thickeners like Xanthan Gum that would work great.
Just like others said…. Won’t go back! Used organic whole wheat flour. Thanks for putting this together!
I’ve never had a cream of chicken soup until now! Will definitely be making again – it was so delicious and perfectly creamy!
I love this healthier version of Cream of Chicken Soup! I made a gluten free version with GF flour and it worked perfectly!
I love this recipe. So much better than the canned stuff. I use it in so many recipes.
So smart to make your own at home! Looks perfect. 🙂
So simple yet so delicious! This is definitely my kind of soup 🙂
Tasted amazing. I added a tsp. or so of “Better than Bouillon” , so I didn’t have to add salt. I also added alittle paprika & some parsley flakes.
Have you ever tried freezing this recipe? or using it with a freezer meal recipe?
I haven’t! Let me know how it goes if you try it!
The sodium amount is that per serving or is that what’s in 1 1/3cups of the mix
That’s per serving – which is 1/5 of the recipe. Hope this helps!
The canned version claims 2.5 servings per can and each serving contains 870 mg of sodium! So much better!!!!
Thank you for this! It’s just what I needed today – I’m running out of staples! In fact, I might use this recipe instead of the canned product in the future…it’s so easy and lacks all of the superfluous ingredients you mentioned, including and, more importantly, my concern about products loaded with sodium.
It made my casserole very creamy! So easy to make!
Mad:
You’re making a CONDENSED soup. The writer reminded people of that to make certain they weren’t expecting regular soup consistency. The fact that is condensed also means that you can easily compensate for the thickness in whatever use you have for it. Add more liquid for soup. I use it for crockpot recipe and the thicker consistency thickens the gravy up better so I’m good with it.
The roux is really hot when you add the liquids and it all comes together really fast at that point, thickening it more than you want. If you take it off of the heat and add the liquid, it works better. I’m grateful it was shared b/c it alleviates issues I had with the store bought. varieties.
Hopefully you aren’t as unpleasant and ungrateful as your comment above suggests.
Shame on the people leaving a five star review. The consistency is not correct and I don’t understand why the original has not been modified. The comment about how it’s condensed and not prepared is not helpful.
Sorry this recipe didn’t meet your specifications. We will try to revisit the recipe and see where people are having difficulty.
The flavor is pasty as well as consistency. I had to add a bunch of more broth and milk. Next time I’m decreasing flour to 6 tbsp.. A traditional roux is equal flour to butter. I had my doubts but wanted to follow the recipe first time out.
Sorry to hear this didn’t work out for you. Glad you were able to make it work by adding extra broth and milk!
I had the same issue as multiple other posters… Turned out super thick and did not make enough. I doubled the chicken stock and it was closer to the right consistency, but still didn’t make the amount in a can of soup. Yes, I understand this is supposed to be like a condensed soup.
I am so sorry this recipe didn’t work out for you. There are so many factors that can contribute to differences in results – freshness of ingredients, brand of ingredients, temperature differences on stove tops and in ovens – it is hard to say what might have happened. We test all of our recipes and try to share them as accurately as possible. I hope you’ll give our recipes another chance!
I am so excited I found this recipe! I’m vegetarian but grew up on sturdy classics and am desperately trying to figure out how to recreate them as my family gets bigger. This gives me the building blocks for how to recreate a few recipes I’ve been craving for the last few years. Thank you for this!
Hi Jamie! I am so glad you found a recipe that will work for you! Let us know how it works in your recipes! Thanks for the 5-stars 😀
This was so easy and tasted wonderful!! I made 2/3 of the recipe and used it in my chicken enchiladas instead of 2/3 can of cream of chicken soup.
So glad you liked it! Thank you for sharing your results! We love using this recipe in enchiladas too, so yummy!