Homemade "cream of" soup...chicken for this recipe :)

I use to buy the canned "Cream of" soups til they started changing the ingredients and I could taste the change plus the price was getting too high. I had also changed my diet about a year ago and stopped eating anything that had things like HFCS, enhanced or enriched anything and various other unnecessary ingredients in today's food. It doesn't taste like food anymore. It tastes like flavored plastic.

Anyway I found a recipe around Thanksgiving to make homemade "Cream of" soups. I made an all from scratch green bean casserole. I even made french fried onions, which btw are super easy to make and so much cheaper! I have made the recipe many times since then and changed a few things in it to make it work for me. I double the initial recipe I found and it makes 4 cups!! I am going to get out the food sealer and package it away in the freezer. The best part about this one is you can freeze it! I use to buy so many cans of the creamed soups for a few different dinners but I have since eliminated those soups for homemade or alternative means of making the recipe. This soup is super easy. I would say it takes a little extra time to prep but it's so worth it!

Homemade "Cream Of" Soup (chicken)


Ingredients
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
1 cup chicken, diced
1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 cup chicken broth

Directions
1. Sautee garlic, onion, celery and chicken. Set aside.
2. Melt butter over medium heat in heavy sauce pan. Whisk in flour and cook a couple mins. Add milk, heavy whipping cream and broth. Stir and then add the sautéed garlic, onion, celery and chicken.
3. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer 15mins or until desired consistency.

The recipe written this way makes 4 cups of soup.

Here is the link to the original recipe Homemade Cream of Something Soup

This is by far the best recipe I've come across. The original recipe says "milk" or substitute. The first time I made it I followed the directions "as is" with no substitutes. I found that using just milk didn't get it to the right consistency without adding corn starch. Over the next few times I made it I experimented with milk, heavy whipping cream and half and half until tonight! I think I found the best combo of "milk" to help make it thick. It literally came out perfect in consistency. My little one who is almost 8mths old loved it! I had given him some on a spoon and he wanted more! I had to mix some in with his afternoon lunch and he devoured it. I make his food so he will be getting this for lunch one day this week. I will mix his with carrots and green beans to give him some veggies.

Anyway this is what i made with my soup tonight:

It's chicken, bacon and cheese casserole. My friend posted that she made this last night on FB and I asked her for the recipe. I made my own soup instead of can and I used egg noodles instead of regular pasta shells. It is really good and super easy.

reply to post by mblahnikluver


Hey mblah,

It's nice to see your recipes going up. Your stuff is looking better than ever.

Bybyots
reply to post by mblahnikluver

 

Hey mblah,

It's nice to see your recipes going up. Your stuff is looking better than ever.

Thank you

I have to do them at night after my little one is asleep. I have a few more to post tomorrow as well.

My kitchen has been busy! I got a lot of new kitchen play things for Christmas so I am having fun using them. My husband is always telling me to get a hobby and I think he finally realized cooking is my hobby so he got me a lot of new "toys" to use in the kitchen. I am also eating healthier than I ever have so I'm making more things from scratch. I am also learning how to can and store things long term. It saves so much money making certain staple items yourself. It takes time, that is it. It is even cheaper to make these items because you can make so much with just a few ingredients.

I also love that my son can have my food now. I have always made his food but it was veggies and fruit. He is now eating meats and he loves it esp chicken. Just the other day I made him some rosemary roasted chicken with zucchini and squash. I baked it all together in a casserole dish. I pureed the veggies and left over juices together and then I pureed the chicken together. I then mixed some chicken in with the veggies and added some sweet potato I had made to the mix. I packed 6- 1cup containers with this one baked meal. He loves it! He has had my beef stew and a few other dishes. He gets those "heavier" meals for dinner or lunch. Other times throughout the days it's veggies or fruits. Maybe I'll start posting baby food recipes lol

reply to post by mblahnikluver


I bet baby-food recipes would be a hit. Your herbs de Provence reminded me to remind myself again to eat more spices; it looked really delicious and fresh.

I have a busy kitchen, but it has been busier and I need to get in there more. Your threads always make me want to.

Have a good evening, bon appétit!

Thanks for the recipe, I am going to try it, the bacon recipe looks awesome! Bon Appetite!

Looks great! Although, I've only ever eaten cream of *whatever* soup on its own. I cook a lot and have not come across a recipe (yet) that calls for it!

Usually it's cream of mushroom, my favourite!

I have this really awesome crab and corn soup that has been passed down through my family and have never seen anyone else with a recipe like it at all. It's more of a bisque I guess. I love living on the fatty/creamy side of life (although you wouldn't guess- I'm a sting bean!). My partner on the other hand is very salad and little butter. I don't know how we do it but we manage to compromise when it comes to cooking.

Thanks for the recipe! I can't wait to try it out! Anything home made is better than store bought!

samuel1990
Looks great! Although, I've only ever eaten cream of *whatever* soup on its own. I cook a lot and have not come across a recipe (yet) that calls for it!

I have never eaten it on its own either, until I made it myself. The canned stuff was like a glob and had no flavor to me. I always added to it to give it some more flavor. I usually see it in casserole recipes.

Usually it's cream of mushroom, my favorite!

Mine too! You can make that! Instead of chicken you would put mushrooms in that ingredient spot. If you click the link I gave the original recipe tells you how to substitute for various "cream of" soups. I have made the mushroom soup before and it was soooo good! I used it in my green bean casserole at Thanksgiving. I recently used it in a pot pie I made the other night from left over baked whole chicken. I have been busy!

I have this really awesome crab and corn soup that has been passed down through my family and have never seen anyone else with a recipe like it at all. It's more of a bisque I guess. I love living on the fatty/creamy side of life (although you wouldn't guess- I'm a sting bean!). My partner on the other hand is very salad and little butter. I don't know how we do it but we manage to compromise when it comes to cooking.

Oh now that sounds good!! You should share the recipe if you want. hehe

I love creamy soups!! I was never a big soup person as a kid. I became a soup fan when I could make it myself. I would experiment and try different combinations. I've had some misses but I've had some come out very well. My next soup will be carrot dill. I finally have the right kitchen tool to help make the carrots pureed into mush lol. I had this soup at a french restaurant and at first I was like carrot and dill? But then I got the soup with my lunch and OMG I wanted to ask for more.

Thanks for the recipe! I can't wait to try it out! Anything home made is better than store bought!

You are welcome! Let us know how it comes out when you do.

Agreed! I have been making anything I can homemade. I don't buy any snack items from the store like i use to. No Wheat Thins or Milano cookies. I make them now. I recently made Oreo's at Christmas and OMG those were so darn good. I stopped eating Oreo's about a year ago because of all the crap in them. I also use to love these Pecan Sandies with Dark Chocolate and almonds. I made homemade ones over the weekend when my mother in law was here. Those things were so good I had to give them away or I would have eaten them all. I love to cook and I have saved a lot of money making all the things I enjoy from scratch or as close to it as I can. I am going to make hummus next. It's a favorite snack item and it's expensive lol I'd rather make it!

So yes homemade is always better than store bought!

Bybyots
reply to post by mblahnikluver

 

I bet baby-food recipes would be a hit. Your herbs de Provence reminded me to remind myself again to eat more spices; it looked really delicious and fresh.

Yea I think they just might be

It was very good. I made it a while back for my husband the first time and he loved it. I didn't think he'd like it because it's not what he would typically want to eat. I was surprised when he had two servings. lol

I have a lot of different herbs and spices. It's a slight kitchen obsession. We have a place here that has a huge selection of herbs and spices. I remember them years ago but they have grown to a much bigger office now and their selection is like triple what I remember. I know they couldn't get a lot of things back in the day but now they have almost everything. I haven't had a chance to really look at their selection since I moved back into the area. I'd like to be without the little one since the shop is very narrow where the walk ways are and a stroller wouldn't be a good idea. I don't want to knock any shelves over!

I want to get some Middle Eastern herbs and spices next and try Middle Eastern foods.

I have a busy kitchen, but it has been busier and I need to get in there more. Your threads always make me want to.

Thanks, glad I can motivate you

Cooking is like therapy to me. lol

All I have to do is look at a cooking magazine, book or website or even show and I usually start cooking something. lol I've always been that way.

Have a good evening, bon appétit!

Thanks and you as well

reply to post by mblahnikluver


The cheese and bacon pasta looks like really good comfort food...I'd eat it with baked beans just to give it the full comfort level

Baked beans are the only processed food that I just can't give up.

I make a lot of soups, and just to share a tip or two, uptake optional, simply offering you an alternative method. Instead of the flour I tend to use potato for the starch/thickener...rice can work equally as well but I prefer spuds. Also, if I am making a special 'Cream of...' soup, I puree all the ingredients (before adding cream - I don't use milk) and pass it through a metal sieve. Then I add the cream and final seasoning. Same for rich sauces. Obviously, if adapting for baby foods the sieving isn't required, they need their roughage.

Glad to see you are enjoying being a Mum and have recovered from your difficult pregnancy. Make the most of your time with him. It is so precious...and flies by.

reply to post by mblahnikluver


Mmmm, this looks good. Thanks for sharing!
This recipe will answer a couple of issues in my home as well. We no longer use the canned soups either.
I have one big question though, have you tried canning it yet? I typically avoid canning dairy, but I might make an exception since it would facilitate a quicker meal some evenings.

KilgoreTrout
reply to post by mblahnikluver

 

The cheese and bacon pasta looks like really good comfort food...I'd eat it with baked beans just to give it the full comfort level

I would consider it comfort food! I was quite tasty.

Baked beans are the only processed food that I just can't give up.

I am personally not a baked beans fan but my husband loves them.

I make a lot of soups, and just to share a tip or two, uptake optional, simply offering you an alternative method. Instead of the flour I tend to use potato for the starch/thickener...rice can work equally as well but I prefer spuds. Also, if I am making a special 'Cream of...' soup, I puree all the ingredients (before adding cream - I don't use milk) and pass it through a metal sieve. Then I add the cream and final seasoning. Same for rich sauces. Obviously, if adapting for baby foods the sieving isn't required, they need their roughage.

I love soup. I make Juila Child's French Onion quite often. It's one of my favorites.

You use potato? How do you use potato? I'd be interested in trying either method you mentioned. I do use cornstarch sometimes instead of flour or I use heavy whipping cream as a thickener. I use to hate buying it because it was so expensive but now I don't mind because I use it so often. I don't like to use milk anymore and try to stay away from it because It does not taste right to me anymore so I try and use a substitute if possible. I like the consistency with the milk and heavy whipping cream in this particular soup. I had tried no milk and just heavy whipping cream but I'd have to add some more liquid because then it was too thick and it was all off. I tried half and half one time with heavy whipping cream and I didn't care for the taste. LOL I experimented a little with this one because it wasn't expensive to experiment and I really couldn't mess it up. If I didn't like it for soup I made it into a casserole or pot pie. lol So nothing really went to waste.

Let me know how you use potato

I would normally puree the soup but I got this mezzaluna for Christmas. I love it! My hubby thought it was a cutting board and that it just came with the knife. He is a horrible online shopper usually for not reading the fine print. LOL I think this is one time I'm glad he didn't read the description because he would not have gotten it. It is great for making my sons food now esp since he is getting into food "pieces" now that he is teething.

Glad to see you are enjoying being a Mum and have recovered from your difficult pregnancy. Make the most of your time with him. It is so precious...and flies by.

edit on 22-1-2014 by KilgoreTrout because: (no reason given)

Thank you very much. I do enjoy it more than I did being pregnant that is for sure. I am going to be a stay at home mom til he is 3 and can go into a pre-school. So I will get all the time I want with him right now. We have fun and he is my little mini chef to be! If he can have something i"m making I always give him a taste. He will be 8mths on the 2nd. Time does fly!

Thanks for the suggestions and let me know!

woodsmom
reply to post by mblahnikluver

 

Mmmm, this looks good. Thanks for sharing!
This recipe will answer a couple of issues in my home as well. We no longer use the canned soups either.
I have one big question though, have you tried canning it yet? I typically avoid canning dairy, but I might make an exception since it would facilitate a quicker meal some evenings.

Thanks woodsmom and no problem

I have not canned it. I am looking at canning equipment and I will let you know how it works out and even if I can. I do freeze it which is why I liked this recipe. All the other ones I had found said you couldn't freeze it but this one freezes nicely! You can thaw it out or put it in frozen depending on how you are using the soup. I am going to make a couple big batches of cream of chicken and cream of mushroom soups this weekend and vacuum seal them and freeze them. Prep time doesn't take much at all and in total it's maybe 30mins at most. If I double this recipe I can make 8 cups of soup.

I am going to assume you can. lol What do you use? I have never done it and have been interested. My mom does it but she does things like salsa's and jellies. I want to know how to can many different things and also how to store my own pasta for long term use.

reply to post by mblahnikluver


This might just be worth giving up freezer space to. Thanks for the response.

I can a lot, jams, jellies, fruit butters, homemade stocks and broths, salmon, moose, veggies from the garden, etc, etc.
This year I also made up a batch of caprese jam with my heirloom tomatoes and bunches of fresh basil. I also made a Serrano pepper and strawberry sauce and a couple of batches of dulce le leche, one of which I salted with sea salt that I smoked myself. I also dehydrate fruits like apples, bananas and berries and veggies like potatoes and carrots for quicker meals and snacks. The fruits are really good in the morning porridges.

I use my pressure cooker for the meats and veggies, and just a water bath canner for the rest. You spend a lot of time in the kitchen at once and then have the convenience of grabbing jars of whatever you want. I know that it's possible to actually can certain entrees and prepared meals, though I haven't tried that yet. That's why I was curious, for food safety reasons you can't can everything, and each item takes its own times and temps in the pressure cooker.
I will look into it when I get a chance.

As far as your pasta goes, I bet you can make it and dry it and store it in a sealed package for a long time.

reply to post by mblahnikluver


Boy, as cold as it is here, that soup looks like it would hit the spot.
Thanks for the recipe and the tweaking of it.

One of the things I hate about some recipes and some heating directions on packages: they are really off as far as cooking times....and what ingredients really work.

DontTreadOnMe
reply to post by mblahnikluver

 

Boy, as cold as it is here, that soup looks like it would hit the spot.
Thanks for the recipe and the tweaking of it.

I have never eaten canned cream of soups by itself before but homemade cream of soup is soooo much better. I had a small bowl of this when it was done. My son even had a few bites and he too loved it. It has been cold here in FL, well cold to us lol and this soup has been perfect for an afternoon snack or just an early small dinner. I am going to make 3 different cream of soups this weekend for long term storage so I don't have to make it for a little while. It takes no real time other than prep and that is it. I can do it while my son naps and finish when he goes to bed.

One of the things I hate about some recipes and some heating directions on packages: they are really off as far as cooking times....and what ingredients really work.

Oh that drives me nuts. I always make sure that when I post a recipe I have just made it so I can measure and make sure everything is accurate. I made a quiche a couple years ago that I found online. I followed the recipe as written which is what I do the first time, that way I can "tweak" to the way I prefer it or think it would be better. Well this pie was so off on measurements I stopped what i was doing to write a review on their page. lol They had said it would fit into 1 9 inch pie plate well I had one 9 inch pie plate and it fit into TWO! It over flowed and went all over the place. It was an egg mess on my floor. I wondered if this person had ever made this or didn't measure right because there was no way it was fitting in that pie dish!

I love Julia Child's recipes but they are hard to read because of how they are written in the book. Sometimes they literally make no sense and forget to tell you what ingredient goes where. lol I have to make it and figure it out or find someone who has translated it best. lol Now Martha Stewarts recipes I've never had ONE problem with, she is a perfectionist with that stuff and it shows with the recipes. I never really change anything in her recipes, no need to! I like how her recipes are written too, she makes sense with everything and is descriptive and precise. I made a cheesecake a while back and it was her recipe and it was one you had to bake. I followed the instructions and it came out DELICIOUS! Nothing went wrong lol I was worried about making too and it completely failing because I'm not big into baking. I am getting better at it and exploring

mblahnikluver

lol Now Martha Stewarts recipes I've never had ONE problem with, she is a perfectionist with that stuff and it shows with the recipes. I never really change anything in her recipes, no need to! I like how her recipes are written too, she makes sense with everything and is descriptive and precise. I made a cheesecake a while back and it was her recipe and it was one you had to bake. I followed the instructions and it came out DELICIOUS! Nothing went wrong lol I was worried about making too and it completely failing because I'm not big into baking. I am getting better at it and exploring

I have found that to be true, also.
Not a big Martha fan in general, but her recipes work.
It's nice to find a recipe website you can trust.

reply to post by mblahnikluver


Well, it looks like the freezer it is.
You aren't supposed to add dairy or thickeners before you can soups, it's something to add in before they are reheated.
That takes this one off the list.
Canning soup

I am still making several batches this weekend for the freezer. Thanks again!

reply to post by mblahnikluver


Hey Mblah,
You have another winner here!
I put together a pot of cream of chicken that we just finished. The wife says it is a keeper and surprisingly the stepson had two bowls! The only deviation from your recipe was to add a little sweet orange bell pepper as I was a tad light on the celery.
We give it

Mike

mjp54
reply to post by mblahnikluver

 

Hey Mblah,
You have another winner here!
I put together a pot of cream of chicken that we just finished. The wife says it is a keeper and surprisingly the stepson had two bowls! The only deviation from your recipe was to add a little sweet orange bell pepper as I was a tad light on the celery.
We give it

Mike

Why thanks

Awesome!! I'm glad you enjoyed it

I never ate cream of soups until I made my own. I always just used them in casseroles or in other dishes but my goodness it is so tasty homemade. My mom made some homemade kale soup today and I"m about to have that for dinner here in a minute.

reply to post by mblahnikluver


Mmmm... sounds good! I just emailed the recipe to my wife, and we are definitely going to be trying this! Will alter it to cream of mushroom, which will be might tasty, I'm sure. Thank you!