Okay so there was a moment,  and I remember it clearly, where I heard that canned soup was not exactly great for you. And I did what any curious mom does. I picked up a can of cream of chicken soup, flipped it around, and read the ingredient list. And y’all. It was long. Like really long. Full of things I could not pronounce and ingredients I did not recognize and I just stood there in my kitchen thinking , why am I feeding my family this when I can make it myself?

And just like that the canned cream of soup era in our house was over.

Now here is the thing,  I already make my own homemade chicken stock (link to that recipe here) so I basically already had the foundation. I just needed to figure out how to turn it into that rich creamy soup base that goes into all of my casseroles and comfort meals. And when I went looking for guidance online I honestly did not find much. Everyone was kind of just winging it. So I winged it too, tested a few versions, and landed on this simple base recipe that works beautifully every single time.

And here is what really surprised me,  it is so much simpler than I expected. Like almost embarrassingly simple. But I am sharing it anyway because I also thought it was going to be complicated and it was not, and you deserve to know that. Sometimes the things we think are hard turn out to be the easiest wins in the kitchen.

Let’s Make It

Get a medium sized pot on the stove over medium heat. Add your stick of butter and let it melt completely.    Once the butter is melted add your flour and stir them together immediately. You are making a roux here, this is what thickens your soup and gives it that rich creamy body. Keep stirring and cooking the butter and flour together for about 2 minutes. You want to cook out the raw flour taste but not let it brown. Stay right there and keep that spoon moving.

Now start adding your chicken broth slowly, and I mean slowly. Add a little bit at a time, stirring constantly and letting each addition fully incorporate before adding more. This is the step that requires your patience and your presence. Do not walk away. Do not rush it. Adding the broth slowly and stirring constantly is what gives you a smooth creamy soup instead of a lumpy one.

Once all your broth is in and the mixture is smooth, add your milk and all your seasonings ? salt, garlic powder, pepper, onion powder, and celery salt. Stir everything together and let it cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until it thickens to that beautiful creamy soup consistency you are looking for.

Taste it. Adjust the seasoning if your family needs more. This is your soup and you know your people best.

How to Make Other Cream of Soups With This Same Base

This is the magic of this recipe once you have the base down you can make basically any cream of soup just by adjusting what you add in.

Here is how to do it:

Cream of Mushroom: Sauté about 2 cups of finely diced mushrooms in butter before starting your roux. Add them into the finished base and you have cream of mushroom soup. Use mushroom broth in place of some of the chicken broth for even more depth.

Cream of Celery: Sauté 1 cup of very finely diced celery until completely soft before making your roux. Add it into the finished base along with a little extra celery salt. Use the same base recipe and it transforms completely.

Cream of Broccoli: Steam and finely chop about 2 cups of broccoli and stir it into the finished base. You can blend it smooth or leave it a little chunky depending on your preference.

The base is always the same, butter, flour, broth, milk, seasonings. You just change what you fold in at the end and suddenly you have a completely different soup. One recipe, endless possibilities.

Turning This Into a Full Bowl of Chicken Soup

A few of you asked how to turn this base into an actual meal, not just a can substitute — great question! Here’s how:

Once your base is thickened and seasoned, stir in:

• 2 cups cooked, shredded or diced chicken

• 1 cup diced carrots, cooked until tender

• 1 cup diced celery, cooked until tender

• Optional: ½ cup peas or diced potatoes

Let everything simmer together for 5–10 minutes so the flavors come together, then taste and adjust your seasoning one more time. That’s it — same rich base, now a full, cozy bowl of homemade chicken soup.

What to Use It In

This is where it gets really exciting. Every recipe that calls for a can of cream of soup, use this instead. Here are some favorites:

• Chicken and rice casserole
• Green bean casserole
• Chicken pot pie filling
• Tuna noodle casserole
• Slow cooker chicken dishes
• Creamy pasta bakes
• Soups and stews that need a creamy base

Storage and Tips

This freezes beautifully. Make a big batch and freeze it in portions that equal one can, about 1¼ cups per portion. Use freezer safe containers or zip bags laid flat. Pull one out the night before you need it and thaw in the fridge overnight.

Keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days. It will thicken as it chills,  just whisk in a little extra milk or broth when you reheat it to loosen it back up.

Stay by the stove. I cannot stress this enough. This is not a walk away recipe. The roux can burn and the broth needs to be added slowly with constant stirring. Put on a podcast, stay present, and it will reward you.

Taste and adjust. The seasoning amounts I gave you are a great starting point but every family is different. If yours likes more garlic, add more garlic. More pepper, go for it. Make it yours.

Use your homemade chicken stock here. (link to that recipe) If you have been making your own stock this is the perfect place to use it. The flavor difference compared to store bought broth is incredible and it makes this cream of chicken soup truly next level.

I read that ingredient list on a can of cream of soup and decided I was done with it. And now I make my own and it is better and simpler and I feel good about every single casserole I put on my family’s table. That is the whole point of everything we do in this kitchen.

…and that’s all we did today.

Cyndi

No video as of right now

Item’s Used:

• Rubber Spatula
• Wooden Utensil Set
• 6pc Non Stick Pot Set
• Measuring  Cups
• Immersion Blender
• Ball Mason Jars

Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup

No ratings yet

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

What You’ll Need

• 1 stick butter
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 5 cups chicken broth added slowly
• 2 cups milk
• 1 tsp each: salt garlic powder, pepper, onion powder, celery salt

Method

 

1. Melt butter in a medium pot over medium heat.
2. Add flour and whisk continuously for about 2 minutes to form a roux.
3. Slowly add chicken broth a little at a time, whisking constantly until smooth.
4. Add milk and seasonings.
5. Continue cooking and stirring frequently until the soup thickens.
6. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
7. Use immediately or cool and store in the refrigerator or freezer.

Tried this recipe?

Let us know how it was!