Gluten Free Cream of Chicken Soup

This homemade gluten free cream of chicken soup is easy to make once you master the simple gluten free roux base. Bring back all of those old favorite recipes your family loves!

What makes this soup special

• Customized to your tastes: Make it as creamy as you like, with your favorite herbs and spices
• Versatile: Add more chicken stock or even water to thin the soup and serve it with a big slice of gluten free artisan bread for a complete meal; add last night's leftover chicken or a store-bought rotisserie chicken
• Equal to 2 cans of condensed soup: Use half of this recipe to replace one standard can of cream of condensed soup
• A head start: Use this to make gluten free chicken and dumplings, or as a base for gluten free chicken pot pie with vegetables and gluten free pie crust

Key ingredients

• Onion: I like to saute a minced shallot in olive oil, but you can add any onion you like for flavor
• Butter: Adds flavor and is the base of the roux
• Gluten free flour: A basic gluten free flour blend without xanthan gum, like Nicole's Best, thickens the sauce without making it gummy
• Seasonings: Salt, pepper, herbs de Provence or poultry seasoning all make this taste rich and smell like chicken soup. For a different flavor profile, try replacing the seasonings with gluten free onion soup mix
• Chicken stock: Use a flavorful brand, like Pacific, or your favorite
• Evaporated milk: Adds some moisture but not too much, and creamy richness
• Chicken: Chunks of cooked chicken breast make this chicken soup

How to make gluten free cream of chicken soup

Cream of condensed soups are made with a roux, which is just a mixture of butter and flour used to thicken sauces. A condensed soup has less moisture, and concentrated flavors.

All of the ingredients are thickened and reduced (moisture removed by cooking). They are great starting points for all types of recipes, and can be thinned with milk or chicken or vegetable stock to make a hearty meal, quickly.

Make the roux

• Cook down a minced shallot or other small, mild onion in some olive oil, then set it aside
• Melt butter in a saucepan and add gluten free flour, salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, and cook into a paste
• Add chicken stock, and whisk until smooth

Finish the soup

• Add evaporated milk, and add back the minced shallots
• Cook until the mixture is reduced and thickened
• Add in cooked chicken and you're done!

About the chicken

The cream of chicken soup calls for cooked cubed chicken. But you can make it without adding in the chicken at the end and it still tastes amazing.

You can also use shredded gluten free rotisserie chicken if your family likes the flavor. The way I cook plain chicken breasts, they have a more neutral flavor that doesn't compete with the herbs and spices added to the soup.

How to cook chicken breasts easily

Place the raw breasts in a lined or greased casserole dish. Drizzle them lightly with olive oil, sprinkle lightly with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and cover completely with parchment paper placed directly on top of it, covering the chicken completely.

Preheat your oven to 400°F. Place the dish in the hot oven and cook for about 20 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest portion of each breast reads at least 165°F. Allow to rest outside the oven, still covered, for 10 minutes before dicing.

Other condensed “cream of” soups

You can make this same dish into potato soup by simmering diced potatoes in the soup as it reduces and thickens. You can use vegetable stock, and instead of poultry seasoning, add dry mustard powder to taste to deepen and enhance the flavors.

If you're thinking about making a classic gluten free green bean casserole, gluten free cream of mushroom soup is a must. Click through for details on how to make that extra special variety of gluten free “cream of” soups.

Popular ingredient substitution suggestions

Dairy free

The dairy is butter to saute the shallots, and evaporated milk to enrich the sauce. To replace the butter, you can use nearly any nondairy butter substitute, even Earth Balance buttery sticks. Since Earth Balance sticks have more moisture, you should allow the roux to cook lower and slower, so it doesn't burn but the moisture cooks off.

To replace the evaporated milk, Carnation makes a nondairy cooking milk in a small carton that is reduced down to a similar moisture content. If you use a “regular” nondairy milk, use something unsweetened and neutral-tasting, like almond milk.

If your milk isn't reduced-moisture, either reduce it separately in a saucepan, stirring constantly over medium-low heat, or add more milk and cook longer. Either way, you'll have to cook off that extra moisture or your soup will be too thin.

Some readers have reported successfully replacing the evaporated milk with a mixture of half canned coconut milk and half “regular” nondairy milk.

Shallots

I like to make this with shallots because they're such a mild, sweet onion, but you can use anything in the onion family. You can even skip the olive oil and add 2 to 3 tablespoons of minced dried onion flakes in place of cooking down a shallot.

Gluten free flour blend

You can use our gum free gluten free flour blend, Nicole's Best multipurpose gluten free flour blend, tapioca starch, superfine white rice flour, or even cornstarch to make this soup. I prefer Nicole's Best or our 3-ingredient gum-free blend because they make a smooth sauce that doesn't leak liquid as it cools. Cornstarch will become watery as the dish cools.

Herbs and seasonings

I like herbs de Provence best because they make everything taste like gluten free chicken pot pie filling to me. But poultry seasoning is great, too.

FAQ