This Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup recipe is one I have been relying on for years in my kitchen. I’m the kind of girl who usually flies by the seat of her pants when it comes to meal planning and so I don’t always have all the ingredients necessary on hand. If this is you as well, then you know how creative you can be when dinner is on the line and you forgot an ingredient! I’d much rather take five minutes to whip up a homemade version of canned cream of chicken soup than make a run to the grocery store. Not only does it taste so much better, but you can customize the flavors with different herbs and spices.
This recipe makes a little over two cups and is about equal to two cans of cream of chicken soup. You can make it ahead of time and keep it in the fridge until you are ready to use it. One of the ingredients that makes it so good is the Better Than Bullion Chicken Base. I buy this at Costco, and it is so convenient! So much easier than those powdery bullion cubes, and takes up so much less space than bulky boxes of chicken stock. Highly recommend!
The herbs and spices I used for this recipe have a neutral flavor that lends well to many recipes. But you could leave them out (keep the onion powder and salt) for a plainer version. If you wanted to sauté diced mushrooms in the butter first, you could transform it into cream of mushroom soup very easily!
Start with melting butter in the pan over medium-high heat. Add flour and whisk it into the butter. It will become bubbly and a paste (called a roux, pronounced roo). Allow the mixture to cook for 2-3 minutes before whisking in the chicken base and milk.
At this point, you’ll add the herbs and seasonings. Keep whisking occasionally, as the cream sauce gradually thickens. Once it begins to boil, you can remove it from the heat. It’s always a good idea to taste your cooking to check for seasoning. Do you prefer a bit more salt? More thyme? Adjust as needed. Now you can either use it in a recipe or cover and refrigerate until ready to use later.
I hope you find this Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup recipe helpful for any substitutions you may need in your holiday cooking. I’ll be sharing a cozy, comforting family dinner recipe next week using this homemade version. As always, let me know if you have any questions.
PrintHomemade Cream of Chicken Soup
I love using this Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup whenever a recipe calls for a canned soup. It’s customizable and tastes so much better!
- Prep Time: 2 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups 1x
- Category: Sauce
- Method: Cook
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup salted butter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 teaspoons Better Than Bullion Chicken Base
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.
- Whisk in the flour, and allow to bubble and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Whisk in the milk, chicken base, basil, thyme, parsley, onion powder, and kosher salt. Continue to heat, whisking frequently. The mixture will thicken as it comes to a low boil after about 5-7 minutes.
- Remove from the heat. Use in recipe as directed, or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days until ready to use.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 498
- Sugar: 16g
- Sodium: 946mg
- Fat: 34g
- Saturated Fat: 20g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11.3g
- Trans Fat: 0.9g
- Carbohydrates: 33g
- Fiber: 0.6g
- Protein: 16g
- Cholesterol: 93mg
Thank you! This is exactly what I needed for those times I don’t want to cook (or am so tired I don’t even want to work hard enough to chew).
Can this recipe be preserved by pressure cooking or waterbath methods safely?
No
Can the remainder that is not used of the Cream of Chicken soup be frozen?
Hi Yvonne, I did freeze a portion of this cream of chicken soup recipe to test. I just thawed it out today (as your comment reminded me about it being in the freezer) and warmed it up on the stove top to see if it would be the same. At first, the texture looked a little bit lumpy, but as it warmed up and I continued to whisk, it became very smooth. I think it can be frozen, and used at a later date with good results. Thank you for your question.
Thank you for this recipe! To clarify, is this supposed to be for 2 cups of condensed soup or of mixed soup? I used it in a recipe that called for two cans and it work best when I doubled your recipe. I also wanted to share that I made it once with whole milk and another time with almond milk, and both turned out great. I could barely taste a difference. I haven’t tried freezing it yet but I hope to do so!
Delicious! This tasted wonderful!