Oh yes. You read that title right. We’re going retro today and talking about one of the staples of my childhood — condensed soups.
Of course, the main reason that most families had (and still have) condensed soups sitting in their pantry is to use them for the other staple of my childhood — casseroles. (So. Many. Casseroles.)
But our family actually bought condensed cream of chicken soup to turn it into its original namesake — a nice hot bowl of cream of chicken soup! And oh boy, did I love that soup. My sister and I would be stoked when we arrived home from school and saw that familiar can sitting out on the stove for dinner that night. And then once I learned how easy it was to whisk together the can of mysterious molded glop with a can of milk and — poof! — magically make soup? Oh yeah. You’d better believe that this soup was on regular rotation in my dorm room when I first learned how to cook.
But sadly, you know where this is going…
Tons of preservatives. Ingredients you can’t pronounce. Processed everything. I know, modernity is a bummer.
Because of such, I sadly haven’t bought a can of condensed soup in years. But when my neighbor Christine brought over a box of canned goods from her pantry the day before she moved, the ol’ craving returned as soon as I saw those familiar red and white cans. And then I desperately wanted soup. And then I wanted casserole. And then I began wondering if I could just make the darn stuff homemade. And as it turns out…you can!
Seriously friends, we should have been doing this from the start. Homemade condensed soups are ridiculously easy. Let me show you.
As I imagined, all that you really need to make condensed homemade cream of chicken soup are four main ingredients: chicken stock, milk (you can use any kind), thickener (flour), and a few seasonings. Oh, and if you want to be like the original, you can also add in some diced cooked chicken. That used to be my favorite part of the soup, back in the day.
In order to thicken the soup, some recipes have you make a roux with flour and butter/oil. Then others have you just cook the flour right in there with the liquids. I made a few test batches of each, and the second method is arguably the easiest (and is pictured below), but you can go with whatever sounds best to you.
The great news is that you can customize these main ingredients however you’d like:
- Chicken Stock: If you make homemade stock, then you really win the gold star for this one. I was in a hurry so I went with Trader Joe’s organic stock, which I love.
- Milk: I went with 2% milk, but you can literally sub in just about any kind of milk in this recipe.
- Flour: Feel free to also experiment with flours. I just went with all-purpose flour this time, but have read success stories with whole-wheat and gluten-free varitities
- Seasonings: I kept mine fairly simple, since the stock is already pretty well-seasoned. I do like mine a little more on the salty side, since this recipe is meant to be condensed, but feel free to omit the salt and/or use a reduced-sodium chicken stock if desired.
So to make the soup, go ahead and whisk together your milk and flour until the flour is dissolved and the mixture is smooth.
Then bring your stock to a boil in a medium saucepan.
Slowly add in the milk mixture, whisking to combine. Then whisk in your seasonings, and let the mixture come to a very low boil for about 3 minutes or until it has thickened.
Stir in the chicken, if you’d like.
And then your condensed soup is ready to go! It will definitely thicken up even more as it cools and returns to room temperature.
Then either go ahead and use it for a recipe, or store it in a sealed container in the refrigerator. It should keep for up to 1 week.
I used mine to make my favorite — some actual cream of chicken soup — although in my wise old age, I decided to take an extra 10 minutes to add in some extra carrots, onion, celery and chicken. And oh boy, it was like I was 10-years-old again. This totally hit the spot!!! Recipe coming on the blog tomorrow. And also stay tuned for a condensed cream of mushroom soup recipe and even a casserole or two coming soon.
Once I start with the condensed soups, apparently I can’t stop. Enjoy!
(Condensed) Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp. onion powder
- 1/8 tsp. celery seed (optional)
- 1/8 tsp. dried thyme
- 1/4 cup finely diced cooked chicken
Instructions
- Add chicken stock to a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together milk and flour until the flour is dissolved.
- Slowly pour the milk mixture into the boiling chicken stock, whisking to combine. Whisk in remaining seasonings. Reduce heat to medium, and bring the mixture back to a very low boil, stirring constantly so that the bottom of the pan does not burn. Let the mixture boil for about 3 minutes or until thickened. Then stir in the chicken (if using), and remove pan from the heat.
- Either use the condensed soup in a recipe immediately, or transfer it to airtight containers and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- *This recipe is NOT meant to be consumed as-is. It is a concentrated soup, which means that it either needs to be diluted to be eaten as a soup, or mixed into a recipe that calls for condensed soup. :)
- *I also made a double batch for the photos.
Notes
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!Edited: There are already lots of comments about canning and/or freezing this condensed soup. I do not recommend canning it because of the milk/dairy. I have heard from readers who have tried freezing the condensed soup that it works, though.
This is my new go-to recipe. Really rounds out my chicken pot pie! And comes together quickly, so much better than the canned. Thanks for sharing!
Hi, I made this recipe and I really enjoyed it! I made a chicken broccoli and rice casserole for my family and the next day one of my kids wanted to take some to school for lunch. I think that’s a good sign. It feels great to be able to make our favorite casseroles again!
This is so good! I did substitute 1/4 C of Corn Starch for the flour. My daughter can have the flour but this was so easy to make it Gluten Free. Thanks for the recipe. :)
I made this today for chicken pot pie and it turned out exactly like the real thing! Added bonus is it doesn’t have tons of butter like the other recipes. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for sharing, Deepika, we’re so happy you enjoyed it!
Hi Ali!
When making a casserole like chicken and rice bake, it calls for 10 oz of cream of chicken and 1&1/2 cups of water. How much water do you add to dilute the soup?
Also, This recipe makes about 2 1/2 cups, or the equivalent of two 10-oz cans of condensed soup. How many cups do you need to make 10 oz?
Hi Jacqueline! Since this recipe makes the equivalent of two 10-oz cans and your recipe only calls for 10 oz, we would just use half a batch of this, plus 1 1/2 cups of water to dilute it, since that’s what your recipe calls for. We hope you enjoy!
Hi Ali!
I had a question, can you use this homemade cream of chicken soup to make the Campbell soup casseroles like chicken and rice bake? We like homemade without the MSG and chemicals in store bought soups.
jacqueline
Hi Jacqueline! Yes, most definitely! :)
Hello! Wow – – I can not WAIT to make this recipe! :)
I have a swallowing disorder and am unable to swallow solid foods. I have literally lived on Campbell’s Cream of Chicken Soup (condensed then I add water), Campbell’s Creamy Tomato Soup (I puree 1 clove of Garlic in every can of the Tomato Soup), 1st stage baby food, Chicken Broth, and Vanilla Ice Cream! I have to puree’ the soups to be able to eat them. (I also make a yummy tomato/onion/garlic based Mixed “Fresh” Vegetable Soup with potatoes that I puree, and mix it half and half with some Creamy Tomato Soup to get my Veggies and call it my “Vit C Antioxidant Soup”! So far, I am pretty healthy on this diet and the baby food banana, sweet potato, and green beans I eat every day and it is already pureed and free of additives/preservatives. (You do what you have to do, to survive!) The Vanilla Ice Cream I drizzle with about 1-2 TBSP’s of extra Virgin Olive Oil – – that is the “fat” in my diet, and all the fat I am getting except from the canned soups. Plus, I love Ice Cream. ;) I eat it every day to keep my weight at a healthy weight.
I will eat 1-2 cans of the cream of chicken and 1-2 cans of the Creamy Tomato soup every, single, day. Has anyone priced Campbell’s Soups lately??? The price is outrageous….you can not even imagine how much $$$$ I have spent the past 5 years on their soups….ha!
I am so HAPPY to finally find a recipe for the “condensed” Cream of Chicken Soup! Thank you SO MUCH for posting this. I am going to try it and will let you know how it turns out. Hoping I won’t have to give Campbell’s anymore of my money!! (P.S. I wrote the company a letter telling them a little about myself and that I have literally stayed alive living on their soups for the past 5 years. Could they please send me some coupons maybe, to offset the cost since I buy it in bulk? They said “NO”. Figures!) Now I can make my own, thanks to “you”.
Have an Awesome Day!!!!! :) God Bless. ♥
Hi Angela! Thanks for sharing with us. We’re so sorry to hear about your swallowing disorder, but we’re happy to know you love the Cream of Chicken Soup recipe! All the best to you!
Have you canned this? I,would love to be able to can a big batch for last minute dinners.
Hi Jane! We have not canned this, but you could probably follow the standard procedure for canning and we think it could be done!
Is that powdered thyme, or dried thyme leaves? Thanks!
Dried thyme leaves. We hope you enjoy!
Loved it! Thanks❤️
So glad to hear it! :)