Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup from Scratch
This Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup is rich, velvety, and packed with savory flavor—once you try it, you’ll never go back to canned! Ready in just 15 minutes, it delivers a fresher, silky, lump-free result, and my foolproof technique and expert tips make it the secret to next-level casseroles and comfort food!
Servings 2 cans (See Notes)
Ingredients
- 1 14.5 oz. can low sodium chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk
- 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon (powder or base like Better Than Bouillon)
- 1/4 tsp EACH garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon celery seed (optional)
Instructions
- Dissolve the cornstarch. In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, whisk the cornstarch into the broth until no streaks remain. Set aside.
- Make the roux. In a saucepan, melt the butter with the olive oil over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 3 minutes, whisking constantly. It should be bubbly and smell lightly nutty but stay pale, with no browning. Reduce the heat as needed.
- Add the liquid. Remove the pot from the heat. Whisk in the broth a couple of tablespoons at a time, then the milk the same way, whisking constantly. At first, it will form a thick paste. Keep going, and once it loosens into a smooth sauce, you can add the liquid a little faster. Stir in the bouillon and all the seasonings.
- Thicken. Return the pot to medium heat and bring it to a gentle boil, whisking constantly. Reduce to a simmer and keep stirring until it’s very thick and the whisk leaves trails across the bottom of the pot. It will keep thickening to the consistency of canned condensed soup as it stands.
- Want it ultra-smooth? Press it through a fine-mesh strainer. A few tiny lumps aren’t worth stressing over, though. They melt away once you thin the soup into your recipe.
Notes
YIELD: This recipe directly replaces two (10.5 oz.) cans of soup; each can is about 1¼ cups, for a total of 2 1/2 cups.
To make a creamy chicken sauce: Add 1 additional cup of milk (2 cups total). Increase seasonings to TOTALS of ¾ tsp each onion powder and garlic powder, ½ tsp each salt and dried parsley, and ¼ tsp pepper, and add 1 tsp each Dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce with the seasonings. Simmer only until thick enough to coat a spoon. Off the heat, stir in 1 cup shredded cheese (optional) until melted, then ½ cup full-fat sour cream. Add 2½ cups shredded rotisserie chicken if desired. Season to taste.