Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp Unsalted butter
• 6 tbsp All purpose flour
• 2 cup Chicken stock (use good quality or homemade broth)
• 1 cup Whole milk
• 0.25 cup Heavy cream
• 0.75 tsp Kosher salt
• 0.5 tsp Black pepper
• 0.75 tsp Garlic powder
• 0.75 tsp Onion powder
• 0.5 tsp Paprika
• 0.75 cup Cooked chicken (finely chopped or shredded)
• 1 tbsp Chicken bouillon paste or powder (optional, for deeper flavor)

Steps

1. 1

   Place the unsalted butter in a pot or large saucepan over medium heat and allow it to melt completely.

2. 2

   Add the all-purpose flour to the melted butter and whisk constantly. Cook the roux for a few minutes until it smells nice and nutty.

3. 3

   Slowly pour in the chicken stock while whisking vigorously to ensure no lumps form.

4. 4

   Add the whole milk, heavy cream, kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika. If using chicken bouillon for extra depth, whisk it in now.

5. 5

   Whisk until the mixture is completely smooth, then bring it back to a simmer.

6. 6

   Allow the liquid to cook at a simmer for 3 to 5 minutes until it has thickened.

7. 7

   Stir in the finely chopped or shredded cooked chicken.

8. 8

   Let the soup warm thoroughly for another 2 to 3 minutes.

9. 9

   Taste the soup and adjust seasoning with extra salt if needed. If the soup is too thick, whisk in more stock 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time; if too thin, simmer for a few minutes longer.

Notes

For casseroles, keep the soup slightly thicker so it behaves like the condensed canned version. For eating straight as a bowl of soup, thin it with extra warm stock until it reaches your preferred consistency.

Nutrition per serving

• appetizer
• main
• soup
• chicken
• comfort food
• from scratch
• cooking basics
• fall cooking