I love cream of chicken soup no matter how it’s made, but this recipe might just be my favourite. It’s so easy to make, warms up beautifully, can be made with convenience ingredients, doesn’t take very long to whip up and it’s possibly the most delicious version of this classic that I’ve ever had.
The best part about this soup for me is that it’s chock full of chicken chunks. A smooth soup is lovely with nothing more than some homemade croutons or a rustic wedge of bread to dip in, but having something to chew makes a soup feel so much more like a satisfying meal.
Easy Cream of Chicken Soup is the perfect thing to make when you have any leftover chicken from a previous meal. If you’ve roasted a whole bird the day before and you have the time, you can start by making your stock from scratch using the carcass (click here for my chicken stock recipe) and use any leftover meat for the soup.
If you don’t have homemade stock or leftover chicken, please don’t let that keep you from making this gorgeous soup. The beauty of this recipe is that you can substitute with convenience ingredients. For this shoot I used stock made from stock concentrate pots and chicken pulled from a store-bought whole roasted chicken and it was so delicious. Any stock and any skinless, cooked, pulled chicken will work and it will be delicious!
When you’re making this recipe, remember that you are in charge. I’ve provided measurements for how I prefer mine which is quite thick and creamy, but if you find it too thick, thin it out with more chicken stock, adding a little at a time until you reach a constancy you’re happy with. If it doesn’t pack enough of a flavour punch, stir in a stock pot or cube for a bit more flavour or add more salt & pepper. You’re in charge. Let’s get started!
Ingredients
- 1.5 litres of chicken stock (either homemade, store bought or from a cube or concentrate)
- 125g unsalted butter
- 125g flour
- 225ml milk
- 150ml double cream
- Salt & Pepper
- Leftover chicken (as much as you can muster or up to half the meat pulled from a whole chicken)
- Fresh parsley to serve (optional)
Method
- Add the chicken stock to a large saucepan and bring to a boil. While you’re warming that up, get your chicken ready – pull it, chop it, whatever you need to do depending on what you’re using. Discard the skin or save it to fry up later for crispy chicken skin. I try to use a mix of light & dark meat as well as a wide range of sizes of the pieces so it’s not all too uniform. For example, if I use a rotisserie or whole roasted chicken I buy at the grocery store, I’ll pull all the meat and use about 1/2 or maybe a little more and I’ll make sure I’m using both light and dark meat. I’ll put the rest away for another recipe like Chicken & Sweetcorn Orzo With Crispy Chicken Skin or Casarecce With Chicken, Peas & Pancetta.
- In a separate, large pan melt the butter over medium heat with a little salt & pepper. When it starts to bubble up a bit add the flour stir with a wire whisky to make a roux. Keep stirring and cooking to combine it all and cook the flour a couple of minutes.
- Ladle the stock a little at a time while continuously stirring until it’s combined. Keep stirring with the wire whisk to prevent lumps from forming and repeat this process over and over. Add a little stock and stir to combine until you have incorporated all of the chicken stock into the roux.
- Once you’ve incorporated all of the stock, increase the heat and bring the mixture back to the boil again. When it starts to boil, add the milk and give it a stir. Check the seasoning and make sure you have a flavourful soup at this stage. If you don’t you can add more stock concentrate or stock cubes and adjust the seasoning with salt & pepper as needed.
- Throw in your left over chicken and give the soup a stir with a wooden spoon. Keep the soup simmering now for a few minutes or more to warm through the chicken or until just before you’re ready to serve.
- When you’re just about ready to serve pour in the double cream and stir to combine. Give it a chance to warm up before ladling the soup into bowls. To serve, sprinkle over some freshly ground black pepper and garnish with a little fresh parsley if you like. Serve hot with some crusty bread on the side.
I really enjoy this soup when it’s leftover and I find it warms up best in a saucepan on the hob with the lid on over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
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