Description
Make a rich, creamy, and savory cream of chicken soup from scratch to replace canned versions in your favorite casseroles and soups. This recipe uses simple pantry staples.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup finely diced onion
- 1/2 cup finely diced celery
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup whole milk or half-and-half
- 1/2 cup cooked, shredded chicken breast
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the diced onion and celery to the pan. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Whisk in the flour, thyme, pepper, and salt. Cook this roux for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Slowly whisk in the chicken broth until the mixture is smooth. Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring often, until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to low. Stir in the milk or half-and-half. Heat through, but do not boil.
- Stir in the cooked, shredded chicken.
- Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Use immediately or cool completely for storage.
Notes
- For a smoother texture, blend half of the soup mixture with an immersion blender before adding the chicken.
- This recipe yields about 2 cups, which is equivalent to one standard 10.5-ounce can of condensed soup. Double the recipe for larger needs.
- Cool the soup completely before freezing in airtight containers for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat gently on the stovetop.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Category: Soup Base
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 280
- Sugar: 3
- Sodium: 550
- Fat: 18
- Saturated Fat: 10
- Unsaturated Fat: 8
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 12
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 18
- Cholesterol: 65