Homemade Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup

When I was growing up, casseroles were all the rage, especially in the Midwest. There was a casserole for every occasion, and using just about every ingredient you could think of.

Food culture has shifted over the decades, but when I want some classic comfort food… I tend to veer towards a casserole or hot dish!  While I’ve shared a few of my favorites here on the site, I haven’t gone crazy because casseroles generally have an ingredient in them that can be quite controversial.

The condensed soup.  Also known as “cream of” soups.  To be honest, I use them, but I always wonder how many preservatives are in there, and what those ingredients are that I can’t even pronounce.

My motto is always that homemade is better, but sometimes convenience takes precedence.  This recipe is the perfect blend of both!  Homemade with regular, simple ingredients… and it can be made ahead of time and even frozen.

What do I need to make this recipe?

• Chicken broth – reduced sodium is preferred, just so you can be in control of the sodium level.
• Better than Bouillon – this is an optional ingredient, but one I think really adds a huge boost of flavor.
• Chicken – I wrote this recipe to be made using a chicken carcass (I save mine from a rotisserie chicken), but it also works well with some cooked, chopped chicken (from leftovers, rotisserie chicken, or even canned chicken).
• Milk – whole milk is what this recipe was tested with (since that’s what I keep on hand for our family), but it should work well with lower fat milks, half and half, heavy cream, or evaporated milk.
• Spices – this recipe uses celery salt, white pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder.
• Flour – no need for anything fancy, just regular all-purpose flour. This is what thickens up the soup.

How to make condensed cream of chicken soup?

This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.

1. Simmer. Heating the broth, chicken base, and carcass (or chopped chicken) starts the process of the chicken falling off the bones.
2. Remove some of the broth. Not too much, just about 3/4 cup.
3. Add milk.
4. Add seasonings and flour.
5. Whisk.
6. Add back to pot.
7. Thicken. You’ll want the soup to be much thicker than a regular soup or chowder… you’re looking for the soup to be similar in consistency to the canned version.
8. Remove bones and serve/store. If using a carcass, remove the bones and discard. If using chopped chicken, no need to remove anything.

Variations of this recipe

• Chicken – I love using a chicken carcass (typically from a rotisserie chicken), but if you don’t have one, or would rather not use one, you can substitute with 1/4 – 1/3 cup of chopped cooked chicken.
• Bouillon – using the chicken base really pumps up the chicken flavor, but if you want to omit it, you can. You can also replace it with a good pinch of chicken bouillon granules.
• Broth – since broth can be quite salty, I prefer to use a reduced sodium variety. You can also use chicken stock (again, preferably reduced sodium).
• Dairy – if you don’t have any whole milk on hand, you can easily substitute heavy cream, half and half, lower fat milk, or evaporated milk (not sweetened condensed milk!). I haven’t tested this recipe with dairy-free milks, so I can’t speak to how well that would work.
• Spices – please feel free to play around with the types of spices and/or amounts of those spices, so the recipe is to your tastes. This is just how we like it.
• Cornstarch – instead of flour, you could try using about 1/3 cup of cornstarch to thicken the soup. I haven’t tested this, but I think it would work out just fine. You may need to adjust the amount, until the soup is thickened the way you like.

Making condensed soup ahead of time

I would estimate that probably 99% of you are wanting to make this to cook with, in which case, you’d want to have it already made ahead and ready to go.

I definitely can’t blame ya there!  Good news… this cream of chicken soup will last a week in the refrigerator, and can be frozen for up to 3 months!

Storage

Condensed soup should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator and used within 1 week.

Freezing

If you want to freeze this soup, I recommend swapping the whole milk for evaporated milk.  I found the evaporated milk held up better during the freezing/thawing process.

Cream of chicken soup can be frozen for up to 3 months.  To thaw, place in the refrigerator overnight and it’s ready to use once it’s no longer frozen.