Homemade cream of chicken soup is quick and easy to mix up! Smooth and creamy, it’s perfect for all your favorite casseroles and comfort food dishes.

I remember enjoying all sorts of creamy home-cooked casserole dishes at family potlucks during my childhood.
They always tasted so good – like chicken and rice casserole, Green Bean Casserole, Pasta Bake, and Chicken Pot Pie – such yummy comfort food!
However, those casseroles were most likely made with condensed chicken soup. As a kid, I obviously wasn’t concerned, but now I know that a can of cream of chicken soup is filled with preservatives and additives like MSG. No, thank you…we don’t want that in our meals or our bodies.
Fortunately, there is a super simple homemade cream of chicken soup recipe for all your delicious casserole dishes!
CREAM OF CHICKEN SOUP
Besides the fact that homemade cream of chicken soup is WAY healthier and tastier than store-bought, it’s also:
- Quick. This soup literally comes together in just a few minutes.
- Easy. It’s such an easy recipe and made with only a few simple REAL FOOD ingredients!
- Versatile. Use it as a base for soups, stews, casseroles, and more.
- Gluten-free friendly. Just swap the flour for gluten-free flour or cornstarch (you can buy cornstarch locally at Walmart or shipped via Amazon).
- Dairy-free friendly. Just swap the milk and butter for dairy-free options (like Homemade Almond Milk or Coconut Milk).
- Freezer friendly. Freezes well, so you can make it ahead of time for your monthly meal plans.

CREAM OF CHICKEN SOUP RECIPE INGREDIENTS
You only need a few ingredients for this simple cream of chicken soup recipe.
- Chicken stock. I always keep Homemade Chicken Stock on hand.
- Milk. Dairy or non-dairy milk works here.
- Butter. This adds to the richness of the soup, but olive oil will work fine for a dairy-free version.
- Flour. Use all purpose flour or gluten free flour.
- Seasonings: salt + black pepper + garlic powder + onion powder OR use Seasoning Salt instead.
That’s it!
INSTRUCTIONS HOW TO MAKE CREAM AND CHICKEN SOUP
Step 1. Melt butter in a heavy-bottomed stock pot or saucepan over medium heat.
Step 2. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. This removes the raw flour taste. A thick paste will form (called a roux).
Step 3. Slowly whisk in the chicken stock. After the chicken stock is well combined in the roux, whisk in the milk, pouring slowly, and add in the seasonings (or seasoned salt).
Step 4. While still on medium heat, whisk until the soup comes to a boil again, and cook until it’s thickened, for about 2-5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Use your cream and chicken soup from this point in any recipe or freeze it for your future meal plans.
Since this is not a homemade condensed cream of chicken soup, you don’t need to add any additional liquid to use the chicken soup in a recipe. However, if you’d like to serve it in a small bowl as part of dinner, you might want to thin it with a bit more milk or chicken stock.
Store cream of chicken soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or freeze it for 3-4 months (you can buy containers locally at Walmart or have them shipped to you via Amazon). I like to make a double or triple batch and freeze it in jars (here’s how to do that without the jars breaking) to keep as a pantry staple.

CREAM OF CHICKEN SOUP RECIPES
Now what should you do with your soup? Try any of these chicken and cream of chicken soup recipes.
- Soups and stews. Slow Cooker Mexican Potato Soup – use the cream of chicken soup in place of the chicken stock and heavy cream.
- Casseroles like Easy Green Bean Casserole.
- Pasta bakes like this Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta Bake.
- Plus, this soup is delicious served as a light dinner with a Waldorf Salad and a slice of No-Knead Overnight Artisan Bread. You can even add a bit of cooked shredded chicken if you want.

HOMEMADE CREAM OF CHICKEN SOUP FAQS
What can I use as a substitute for cream of chicken soup?
Instead of cream of chicken soup, you can always substitute a homemade version of Cream of Mushroom Soup or Cream of Celery Soup. Of course, your recipe will be minus the chicken flavor of chicken broth, but my other homemade cream soup bases are also delicious and would work well in most recipes. Just remember that it will have a slightly different flavor profile.
Is there a difference between condensed soup and cream of chicken soup?
The word ‘condensed’ is used to mean a soup that is made with a minimal amount of liquid and has a thick texture. This recipe is rich and creamy but isn’t really a ‘condensed’ soup like the canned version.
Can I make gluten free cream of chicken soup?
Yes! It’s very simple. Just swap the all-purpose flour for gluten-free all purpose flour, or use cornstarch (you can buy cornstarch locally at Walmart or have it shipped via Amazon) instead of flour.
MORE HOMEMADE SOUP RECIPES
- Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Soup
- Homemade Tortilla Soup Recipe
- Easy Minestrone Soup
- Garlic White Bean Soup with Kale
- Homemade Ramen Noodle Soup

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Homemade cream of chicken soup is quick and easy to mix up! Smooth and creamy, it’s perfect for all your favorite casseroles and comfort food dishes.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 10 oz 1x
- Category: Soup & Salad
- Method: Stovetop / Whisk
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- ¼ cup butter
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup chicken stock (how to make homemade chicken stock)
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp onion powder
(OR 2 tsp seasoning salt rather than the above seasonings)
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed stock pot or saucepan over medium heat.
- Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. This removes the raw flour taste. A thick paste will form (called a roux).
- Slowly whisk in the chicken stock. After the chicken stock is well combined in the roux, whisk in the milk, pouring slowly, and add in seasonings (or seasoned salt).
- While still on medium heat, whisk until the soup comes to a boil again, and cook until it’s thickened, for about 2-5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Use your homemade cream of chicken soup from this point in any recipe, or freeze it for your make-ahead meal plans.
Notes
- Since this is not a homemade condensed cream of chicken soup, you don’t need to add any additional liquid to use the chicken soup in a recipe. However, if you’d like to serve it in a small bowl as part of dinner, you might want to thin it with a bit more milk or chicken stock.
- Store cream of chicken soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or freeze it for 3-4 months (you can buy containers locally at Walmart or have them shipped to you via Amazon). I like to make a double or triple batch and freeze it in jars (here’s how to do that without the jars breaking) to keep as a pantry staple.
Nutrition
- Calories: 628
I loved this recipe! I’m always looking for natural alternatives to condensed soups that have so much garbage in them. It was so simple and quick to make. I used corn starch instead of flour as a gluten free alternative since I’m not a fan of gluten free flour. It has amazing flavor and worked perfectly in a casserole that called for cream of chicken soup. I’ll definitely be using this recipe again. Thank you for creating it!!
I expected to see chicken added to this recipe since it is called cream of chicken soup. Would you just add cooked chicken to this? What about celery and onions and maybe diced carrots?
Hi Susan,
This recipe is a base to adapt however you’d like! Those are all great ideas! 🙂
Yum! This looks so delicious and tasty!
Hi Desicart,
Thank you! We hope you like it!