Making condensed chicken soup is a breeze with this DIY recipe!
This recipe can replace a can of soup in casseroles and more without all the extra sodium and preservatives. It is creamy and flavorful too!
Easy Condensed Chicken Soup
Condensed soups are the perfect addition to recipes. They’re creamy, rich and add lots of flavor.
While we often reach for a can of soup to make chicken casserole, it’s easy to make at home. Perfect if you’re low on stock (or want to use ingredients you know)!
Ingredients & Variations
Cream of chicken soup is perfect to replace almost any “cream of” soup (although it’s easy to make cream of mushrooms soup too).
BROTH Chicken broth is the natural choice for the base of this soup. Do not use low sodium, the salt is needed for full flavor in this recipe.
MILK Feel free to switch out the evaporated milk for light cream (or half and half). You can use milk in a pinch but it won’t be as creamy!
CHICKEN I add a tiny bit of minced chicken to this recipe but it isn’t required if you don’t have it on hand. The flavor comes from the chicken broth.
How to Make Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
Just 2 easy steps to make this delicious cream of chicken soup right at home!
- Put all of the ingredients in a saucepan and whisk thoroughly.
- Heat until thickened.
Stir in minced or shredded chicken if desired and use it in your favorite recipe like this easy chicken divan!
The key to making this velvety smooth is to start with a cold saucepan. Add all the ingredients and whisk them while the pan is heating up. This gradually cooks everything at the same time and prevents any lumps.
Tips for Storing
- Refrigerator storage: To store condensed cream of chicken soup, keep it in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- This recipe does not freeze well.
Recipes Perfect for this Condensed Soup
Instead of canned try making these recipes with homemade condensed cream of chicken soup!
- Classic Chicken Pot Pie
- Easy Chicken Noodle Casserole
- Chicken Roll-Ups
- Copy Cat Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole
Did you like this Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups evaporated milk you can use regular milk* in a pinch, it just won't be quite as creamy
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 3 tablespoons cooked finely chopped chicken optional
Instructions
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Combine all ingredients except butter and chicken in a cold saucepan and whisk well.
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Place over medium heat and continue whisking until thickened.
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Remove from heat and stir in butter. Season with salt & pepper to taste and stir in minced chicken if using.
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Store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Soup
Cuisine American
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I so dislike using canned condensed soups so this recipe was very welcomed. Turns out it tastes better, too. My only change, since I never have poultry seasoning, was to add 1/4 tsp each of basil, oregano and celery seed, which I crushed with my mortar and pestle. Thanks, Holly, for another really great recipe!
This recipe tastes much better than its canned counterpart. I see the note that says this does not work in the slow cooker. I trust your judgement, but just curious, why doesn’t this work in the crock pot? Do you have any alternatives for using canned cream of chicken in the slow cooker?
Dairy can sometimes curdle in the slow cooker. However, we tested evaporated milk with good results. If you try it in a slow cooker recipe, let us know how it goes!
Hello,
I understand this soup would not freeze well by itself. Any thoughts to using it in place of canned condensed soup in casseroles to freeze and bake later? Probably best to stay with the evaporated milk vs light cream?
Regardless, thank you for the recipe!
I would definitely recommend sticking with evaporated milk but it should work well in casserole.
I haven’t made this yet looking forward to but question is this… Does this make what would equal one can of cream of chicken soup?
Yes, this is equivalent to approximately one can of condensed soup.
This recipe is a blessing! There are many attractive recipes out there that I choose not to make because they call for condensed cream of chicken or mushroom soup. I just can’t bring myself to use store bought versions with all the sodium, preservatives and ingredients I can’t even pronounce. This recipe is so fast and easy and tastes 100% better than anything from a can. I pretty much always have all the ingredients on hand and it whips up so quickly. Also, I can manage the amount of salt to use, which I always scale back to my liking. It’s a game changer, thank you!
Can I use this recipe without the chicken and broth to make it vegetarian to add to the potato casserole recipe?
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure, but I think that should work just fine Dee! I also have this Homemade Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup which could you turn vegetarian by using vegetable broth. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
Love your recipes and this is no exception. I am curious though, as I watch my sodium intake and you say not to use a low-sodium broth, I’m just wondering how much of a difference it can make in the finished results. Thank you so much and keep your recipes coming, I have tried many of them and have yet to be disappointed. Blessings.
So glad you’ve loved the recipes Sharron! We find that low sodium broth can make the final dish a bit bland if used in a casserole so we prefer to use full sodium. The recipe will still work just fine with reduced sodium broth, you may like to up the other seasonings.
I am on a low carb diet and got excited with your recipe, but it says it has 16 g of carbs. But when you look at the ingredients, I am not sure where the carbs are coming from. This and the cream of mushroom soup recipes have me excited about some of my recipes that I have had to give up, IF I can figure out carb count. Thank you for your help
Most of the carbs are from the evaporated milk and cornstarch. Hope that helps.
I have a recipe that calls for 1 can of cream soup, Undiluted. Do I change this recipe for “undiluted” consistency?
What if you want to enjoy this as simply a bowl of soup – do you add water to thin it some?
Just trying to get the consistency right for my cheesy potatoes for Sunday dinner, or another hot dish that I might make in the future.
The recipe is intended to replace canned condensed soup and is undiluted as is. You could add water or milk to reach your desired consistency. Enjoy the soup Janet!
Delicious!
Love it- This turned out perfect, the right consistency and a wonderful flavor- so much better than canned soup. Thank you
You are very welcome Lori!
This was excellent! But there’s an error in the recipe- it states to add all ingredients to the cold pan, then later says to add the butter, salt & pepper, and minced chicken. I accidentally added the butter at the beginning! It still turned out good, but I’m excited to try it correctly next time!
Sorry for the confusion Shasta, I’ve updated the recipe!
EXCELLENT
Thanks Pam!
Why can’t this be used in a crockpot? I couldn’t find any cream of soup at the store and hoped I could use this as a substitute.
Dairy can sometimes curdle in the slow cooker. We have tested evaporated milk in the slow cooker though with good results! If you try it in a slow cooker recipe, let us know how it goes!
I’m confused because you mention not using it in a crock pot or slow cooker but then this exact recipe is listed as an ingredient for your recipes with a slow cooker like the chicken and dumplings
We retested this recipe this week and it did work well in the slow cooker just be sure to use evaporated milk. We found the sauce to be much thicker with the homemade version and needed to thin it out a little bit for serving.