Cream of Chicken Soup Substitute: A Homemade Condensed Soup Mix

A surprising number of family recipes start with “1 can cream of chicken soup.” Chicken and rice casserole, chicken pot pie, hotdish, creamy chicken enchiladas, slow cooker chicken. With the holidays coming, casserole season is here, and this is the jar that means I never have to run to the store for a can again.

The number to remember

⅓ cup of mix + 1 cup of water = one 10.5 oz can of condensed soup. Write it on the jar. A quart jar holds about nine cans’ worth, and it takes ten minutes to mix.

How to make one “can”

1. Put ⅓ cup of mix in a small saucepan.
2. Whisk in 1 cup of cold water until there are no dry lumps. Starting cold keeps the cornstarch smooth.
3. Whisk over medium heat until it bubbles and thickens, about 3–4 minutes.

It comes out thick, like condensed soup straight from the can. Use it exactly where the recipe says to add the can. If the recipe also calls for a can of milk or water, add that too, the same as before.

What’s in it, and what isn’t

The mix is dry milk for creaminess, cornstarch to thicken, chicken bouillon for flavor and a little onion, thyme, basil and pepper. That’s it. There are no gums, no vegetable oil and no flour, so:

• It’s lighter than the can. Nonfat dry milk instead of cream and oil.
• It’s cornstarch-thickened, which means no wheat flour in the jar. If you cook gluten-free, check your bouillon label, since some brands contain wheat.
• It’s not vegetarian as written, because of the chicken bouillon. Swap in vegetable bouillon granules and you have a cream of vegetable soup base.

A note on salt

Almost all of the sodium comes from the bouillon, and a quarter cup is a lot: about 933 mg per can’s worth, which is why the book marks it high-sodium. To bring that down, use low-sodium or no-salt-added chicken bouillon. Because the casserole usually has cheese, crackers or a salty topping, you’ll rarely miss it.

Casseroles to use it in

• Chicken and rice casserole: one “can” of this, cooked chicken, rice and a cracker topping.
• Chicken pot pie: two “cans” with frozen mixed vegetables under a crust.
• Tater tot hotdish: ground beef, vegetables and one “can,” topped with tater tots.
• Slow cooker creamy chicken: whisk the mix into the cold water first, then pour it over the chicken.

Storage

Keep it airtight and dry. Milk powder and bouillon both pull moisture from the air, so always use a dry measuring cup. It keeps its best quality for about 6 months. If it clumps, shake the jar hard or break it up with a fork.

This is one of the 54 recipes in The Dry Mix Pantry Cookbook that name the exact store product they replace. The sauces chapter has two more creamy jars to keep next to it: a creamy mushroom sauce mix and a classic white sauce mix.