Gluten-Free Cream of Chicken Soup (Microwave in 5 Minutes)
Sneak Preview: Make gluten-free cream of chicken soup in 5 minutes! A homemade substitute for the canned version, with microwave or stovetop instructions.
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Are you tired of condensed cream soups that taste like “salt pills” in a can? Or maybe you’re halfway through holiday prep and realize there’s no red can in the pantry for Aunt Bertha’s casserole.
Save yourself the last-minute store run by making this gluten-free cream of chicken soup at home. It takes only 5 minutes in the microwave (with stovetop instructions included), and you get full control over the salt, seasoning, and ingredients. Make it fresh, or freeze a batch for next time—either way, you’ll never feel stuck without a can again.
Ingredients and Substitutions
EVAPORATED MILK: Closest match to canned; use milk or cream if preferred
VEGETABLE OIL: Avocado oil is best; any light oil works
CORNSTARCH: Thickens and keeps it gluten-free (check the label)
ONION POWDER: Quick flavor; swap with fresh or frozen onion
WHITE PEPPER: Substitute with black pepper or freshly ground pepper
SALT: Optional; omit for lower sodium
CHICKEN: Rotisserie or leftover chicken adds body; optional but good
CHICKEN BASE: “Better Than Bouillon” recommended for concentrated flavor
Tips That Make a Difference
• Flavor: Homemade stock works too, but chicken base packs more punch in less time.
• Microwave vs. Stove: Microwave is fastest; stovetop takes longer but works fine if blended first.
• Freezing: Slight separation is normal—whisk after reheating to restore creaminess.
Gluten-Free Cream of Chicken Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1-1/4 cup (284 g) 2% evaporated milk see the notes about evaporated milk
- 1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons chicken base
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ⅛ teaspoon white pepper
- 1-2 tablespoons cooked chicken finely chopped
Instructions
- Whisk Ingredients: In a microwave-safe bowl (at least 1 quart), whisk together 1-1/4 cup (284 g) 2% evaporated milk,1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil, 2 teaspoons chicken base, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, and pepper until smooth.
- Microwave: Cook on HIGH for 3 minutes, stopping every minute to whisk. Continue until mixture is thickened. Microwave times vary, so keep cooking and whisking if needed.
- Add Chicken: Stir in finely chopped cooked chicken for flavor and texture.
- Stovetop Option: Pour mixture into a saucepan and cook gently over medium-low heat, whisking often, until thickened.
Notes
- Milk Options: Fresh milk may be used instead of evaporated milk, but it doesn’t hold up as well to prolonged cooking or freezing. Avoid sweetened condensed milk.
- Blending Tip: For stovetop cooking, blend ingredients first for a smoother texture, or plan to strain after thickening if chicken base doesn’t fully dissolve.
- Microwave Variability: Every microwave heats differently. If soup isn’t thick after 3 minutes, continue cooking in 1-minute bursts, whisking each time, until thick.
- Freezing: Yes, this soup can be frozen. Expect slight separation; reheat gently and whisk vigorously to restore creaminess.
- Serving Size: One batch equals about the same as a 10¾-ounce can of condensed soup.
Nutrition
All images and text ©️ Paula Rhodes for Salad in a Jar.com
Final Thoughts
This gluten-free cream of chicken soup isn’t just a holiday lifesaver—it’s a quick substitute you’ll want to keep in your back pocket year-round. It slips seamlessly into casseroles, sauces, and soups whenever a recipe calls for “the red can.” For more homemade stand-ins, check out my Cream of Mushroom and Cream of Celery soups.
Here are some recipe ideas for using this soup: Easy Rotisserie Chicken Curry, Leftover Rotisserie Chicken Soup, and Easy Shrimp Etouffee Recipe. Happy cooking!
Need help troubleshooting? Email me: Paula at saladinajar.com—photos welcome!
This was so good! I may never buy canned cream of soup again…
Hi NP,
I’m with you on that. None of us need all that salt.
Hi Paula,
Can you please share how you would make a chicken base by boiling chicken pieces? I am assuming I would not use as much milk if I use the broth from boiling the chicken?
Hi Angie, There are many ways to do it. My favorite method is to use a slow cooker. I put all the chicken, bones, and other flavorings like onions, carrots, celery, peppercorns, and bay leaves in the slow cooker. Set it on LOW for 20 hours. Pour it all through a fine strainer. This really makes bone broth since it cooks long enough to dissolve the gelatin inside the bones. So good!
I just made this and was very impressed! I will never buy condensed again! Thank you very much for making this recipe and publishing it for all to see!
Hi Mary,
Glad you love it. Did you see that I also have a cream-of-mushroom version and a cream-of-celery version?
This is great! Thank you so much! Also if you want a salt free bullion
I use Herb-ox chicken. It isn’t as strong as the others but does the job and forgoes the sodium! Thanks again
Hi Tiana,
I’ve heard of that brand. That’s helpful to know about because many people who make this recipe are looking to cut back on salt. Thanks so much for sharing.
I hate it when I want to cook something and have no cream of…soup on hand. I tried your recipe for cream od chicken soup and I will never, never, buy store bought cream of…soup. My recipe turned out better tasting with the home made than store bought. My husband questioned how better it tasted and asked me why and I told him…he agreed it was so much tastier than store bought
I hate it when I want to cook something and have no cream of…soup on hand. I tried your recipe for cream od chicken soup and I will never, never, buy store bought cream of…soup. My recipe turned out better tasting with the home made than store bought. My husband questioned how better it tasted and asked me why and I told him…he agreed it was so much tastier than store bought
Thanks for the “thumbs-up” Trish!
I use full fat canned coconut milk instead of regular milk due to an allergy… Tastes wonderful.
Glad to hear. I just tried cashew milk in my cream of mushroom recipe and it also turned out just fine. Thanks for writing. paula
I do not have a microwave oven.Can I use a regular oven and what temp,and how long cook.
Thank You Bruce
Bruce,
I would not use an oven. See step #2 under instructions and notes for how to make it on top of the stove.
So glad you posted this and can hardly wait to make it. I will keep evaporated milk on hand and have used the Better Than for years. Thank you!
I have a similar recipe using fat free powdered milk, constarch, seasonings and low sodium chicken bouillon flavoring. The recipe makes equivalent to 8 cans of soup and keeps for several months in the refrigerator. I’ ve been using this for several years and use it in stew, casseroles, and so many more dishes. There are so many ways to improve our diets making homemade recipes. I especially love my recipe for instant chocolate pudding. Yum.
Where do i find the chicken base ingredient ??
Hello, I use cream of ______ soups all the time in my cooking. I am looking very forward to using these instead of the store bought, thank you for posting them. However, I have a question. My sister is having to eat gluten free and she is coming for a visit. Is the mushroom & chicken cream soups gluten free? I am very unfamiliar with gluten free cooking.
I am so thankful I found this site – I miss the condensed soups cause I won’t use the canned ones – thanks so much!!!!!
This was my favorite as a kid (many decades ago). Tried it a few years ago, not only was it too salty, now they put MSG, soy and yeast extracts, and something that makes it sweet in in it now. T’was nasty. Thanks for this recipe. Ans yes, the Better than Bouillon is awesome.
Cornstarch is gluten free so this is a great alternative for those of us who try to avoid it! Also, it tastes so much better than the canned variety. Thanks for the recipe. I tried it first this past thanksgiving and it has been a staple ever since.
And another tip to lump proof your recipe (I am a stove top cooker myself) put your main ingredient in the pan first with the dry corn starh or flour to coat the main ingredient (can be the chicken or mushrooms, celery, or onion) and THEN stir the tea to the wet ingredients into that. The cornstarch (or flour) won’t clump!
For Maddie: I did this for years or my son who couldn’t have dairy…I made cream of onion or celery and I always used almond or soy milk. I’d try the rice if you like, it is sweeter, so it may change the flavor a bit.
Paula: my recipe was from the Better homes and gardens cookbook I got for a wedding present (awesome gift, btw) and it adds a dash of ground mustard. I love it. Worth a try? 🙂
FYI- not gluten free because of the cornstarch, but that can be swapped out for another thickening agent. I’m trying it out today with Potato Statch as the substitute. I’m using it for Potato Soup, so it should sub nicely.
I use Argo brand cornstarch and it says right on the label that it is gluten free. I plan on trying this for my daughter that has Celiacs. She misses the tuna hotdish I used to make.
Hi Becky,
Yes, Thanks for pointing that out. Some still do not believe. 🙂
If making a crock pot recipe that calls for cream of chicken soup, can I just throw all the ingredients in the crock pot along with the recipe ingredients?
Lisa, I have not tried it. It doesn’t seem like a good idea but can’t say for sure. Paula
Genius!!! As for the canning question. I believe it is not advised to home can anything containing milk, eggs, cornstarch or flour. There is a canning website called sbcanning.com the lady that runs it is a wealth of knowledge about canning. I can’t wait to give this recipe a try. A lot of our faves require that stuff in the red can 🙂
Thanks for pitching in regarding canning this stuff. I don’t do it and wouldn’t consider it but many have asked.
Unfortunately the Better than Bouillon chicken base contains yeast extract otherwise known as MSG. This ingredient causes a significant allergic reaction in many, and avoiding it is the reason I need to make my own cream of chicken soup. How disappointing to find this ingredient in an organic product.
Why? Yeast is organic. Some of us have to avoid peanuts, or eggs, or a wide variety of other things, and some of us have to avoid MSG, which occurs naturally in a wide variety of food. For instance, tomatoes, cheese, papaya and many seaweeds if you’re a sushi lover.
Unfortunately, this is inaccurate. MSG does not ever, ever occur naturally – glutamates do. MSG is a chemically processed version of these, meant as a preservative and artificial ‘savory’ taste. L type glutamates are found naturally, whereas MSG contains D type, as well as chemically tweaked ratios that tip into the toxic realm. To compare the two types would be similar to comparing a freshly cut stalk of cane sugar from your backyard to a storebought bag of bleached, processed white granulated sugar. In fact, MSG kills brain cells so definitely that scientists use it when that’s their aim in research or experiments. …I’d recommend avoiding it.
I don’t know where you got that idea, because it is very much not the case. Google ‘Foods that naturally contain MSG’ and you will find the shock of your life. Like this for instance…
‘Glutamate occurs naturally in protein-containing foods such as cheese, milk, mushrooms, meat, fish, and many vegetables. Glutamate is also produced by the human body and is vital for metabolism and brain function. Monosodium glutamate, or MSG, is the sodium salt of glutamate.’
All of that is correct. “Glutamate” is natural, even found in breast milk. “MSG” is made :into: he “sodium salt” by manual chemical process. It is the :type: of glutamates that is important here. MSG does not occur naturally, it is made.
Love it!! Thanks. We just made my son’s favorite ‘chicken and cheese’ recipe for his birthday last week and I had a fleeting thought “it is so nice, I wonder if we could make it healthier by doing my own cream soup?” and then quickly dismissed the thought since it is cream of chicken and cream of cheese. Well, thanks to you, I am half way there and –at least- already tracking less salt!
THANKS
Can you make batches of this and freeze it freezer bags for later use?
Is there a way to make this dairy free? I may try rice milk… Anyone tried it before?
(My son can’t have dairy or soy and is nursing – so none for me either!)
Are you able to can this? Bell/mason jar if so how??? 🙂
Good question…..but, I don’t know the answer. I am not an expert in home canning nor have I tried it. Perhaps somebody else can answer from experience.
This is a much easier to make than I thought it would be! I love that you’ve used a lower sodium bouillon too. Now that I’m looking for it, too much sodium seems to be everywhere in the grocery stores. I’d like to make a big batch of this for my freezer. Any idea how long it will keep?
Mom,
I can’t say for sure. I like it best fresh but if I do freeze it, seems like I use it quickly. Maybe 6 mos? maybe even longer but haven’t tried it myself.
Paula, you’re my new heroine! I’ve been looking for Cream of… recipes forever!
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Thanks so much for this! You have just blessed my day! 🙂
Paula it’s just awesome that you created your own condensed creamed soups, I must try this. I always love your recipes!
This recipe is a gem! I used it tonight in a new recipe for taco soup, and it worked like a charm. I am thrilled never to need store bought cream of chicken soup again. Thanks so much!
Love to hear from people who actually try the recipe. Thanks so much Jocelyn.
Just in time for the holidays. Sounds delish! Thanks for the recipe:)
I have stopped using the condensed soups because of the high sodium and will definitely try this in my favorite chicken enchilada recipe. I love the Better than Bouillon, and have some in my refrigerator. 🙂