Typically, my recipe for French Onion Beef Casserole is made with cream of mushroom soup. However, recently we have had a child in our home (Matthew… cough cough…) who has developed a deep detest for mushrooms. I cannot fault him, or hold it against him, as at his ripe age of nine I too detested sweet peas and onion and as a result I can only blame myself. So, today I made Cream of Chicken Soup instead of the typical cream of mushroom soup.
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Published January 24, 2022
Updated March 23, 2022
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What was for dinner?
Tonight, before making dinner, a decision was made. French Onion Beef Casserole will NOT be made with mushrooms. I am sad, Tyler will be sad, we all are sad. Everyone in the house except Matthew that is. But the people must be fed!
I had leftover chicken drippings from a meal this past weekend and decided to use those drippings as part of the stock needed for this Cream of Chicken Soup. Whenever I cook chicken, this time it was a whole chicken roasted, I save the juices in the fridge or freezer. Chicken drippings can be used for so many different purposes. Soup, stock, cheese sauce and even Cream of Mushroom Soup. Click the link below for my recipe for Cream of Mushroom soup!
Why make this soup from scratch?
Recently I purchased cream of mushroom soup from the grocery store, and it had such an odd texture, taste and look. I remember cream of mushroom, or even cream of chicken soup, being so delicious when I was a child. Oh, how the times have changed. Since making cream of mushroom soup from scratch many years ago, I have not brought myself to buy a can. Making this from scratch is so easy and tastes WAY better than anything you can buy in a can.
The price of a can of cream of chicken soup will not break the bank, but if you have drippings the cost to make it from scratch will be way less expensive. I love making soup from scratch because having drippings and leftover stock helps big time to lower the cost of recipes.
A can from Pacific Foods for example, it is a 10.5 oz can of Organic Cream of Chicken Soup Concentrate for $2.49.
Below is the cost breakdown for each item to make this recipe for Cream of Chicken Soup.
Chicken stock $0.00
1/2 cup flour $0.10
2 cups milk $0.35
4 Tbsp butter $0.30
I was able to make 4 cups of homemade from scratch Cream of Chicken soup for $0.75.
By making from scratch Cream of Chicken soup, the cost of our dinner was then only $8.75. We still have leftovers and Tyler gets lunch for work tomorrow! That brings French Onion Beef Casserole with Homemade from scratch Cream of Chicken soup to under $0.88 per serving.
Cream of Chicken Soup Recipe
Ingredients for Cream of Chicken Soup
4 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup flour
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups milk
Cream of Chicken Soup Directions
1. Place 4 Tablespoons butter in a large saucepan and then heat on medium-high. A flat-sided pan work well with this recipe as it will help to prevent any spatters or overspill.
2. When the butter is melted, add 1 tsp garlic powder and 1 tsp minced onion, then stir to combine. Cook the seasonings in the melted butter until they are fragrant.
3. Add 1/2 cup flour to the melted butter and then whisk to combine. Cook the flour for 2-3 minutes. The butter will soak into the flour and become like little crumbles. Just keep mixing it all together.
4. Pour 1 cup chicken broth SLOWLY into the flour and butter mixture and whisk until combined. Pour slowly as it can steam.
We had leftover chicken broth from a meal this past weekend and it was in the fridge, which is why it looks like this odd glob. Once it heats up in the pan with the butter and flour, the glob will dissolve and melt to a smooth texture.
5. Measure and then pour the 2 cups milk into the pan and whisk until fully combined. Again, pour the milk slowly into the pan as it can cause it to bubble up and steam.
6. Cook on medium until boiling, whisking constantly for 2-3 minutes. If using later, you can use a spatula and scrape it out into a bowl. The soup was then scraped out of the pan with a Rachel Ray spatula and set aside in a bowl.
This Cream of Chicken Soup is concentrated and can be served as a soup base with 2-3 cups added stock or water to be used in casseroles or bake dishes.
Once the Cream of Chicken Soup was cooked, I finished making the French Onion Beef Casserole. For that delicious recipe check out my blog for that recipe by clicking the above link! It is for sure one of our families’ favorite meals. Let me know in the comments if you make this recipe!
Enjoy!
~Monica
Recipe for Cream of Chicken Soup
Cream of Chicken Soup Recipe
Equipment
- Large Saucepan
- Whisk
- Measuring Cup
Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp Butter
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 1/2 cup Flour
- 1 cup Chicken Stock
- 2 cups Milk
Instructions
- Place 4 Tablespoons butter in a large saucepan and then turn the heat to medium-high.
- When the butter is melted, add 1 tsp garlic powder and 1 tsp onion powder and stir to combine and cook until fragrant, around 1-2 minutes.
- Add 1/2 cup flour to the melted butter and then whisk to combine, making sure to cook the flour for 2-3 minutes.
- Pour 1 cup chicken broth SLOWLY into the flour and butter mixture and whisk until combined. Pour slowly as it can steam.
- Pour the 2 cups milk into the pan and whisk until fully combined.
- Cook on medium until boiling, whisking constantly for 2-3 minutes.
Notes
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