DIY Cream of Chicken Soup

If you are anything like me, you search the internet for recipes weekly, if not daily. There are always so many things that look yummy. And then I read the recipe, and find that it calls for a can of cream of chicken (or mushroom) soup. Almost. Every. Time. If you are reading this, you know how I feel about cans, in general...and BPA in cans, specifically. That's when I thought, "Hmm...I bet I can make my own 'soup'." I should warn this really isn't "soup", but - to be fair - I don't really think of the average condensed soup as such either. It is basically a bunch of chicken flavor with some cream and goodness knows what else. How hard could it be, right? 

Here's what you'll need:

2 tbsp flour

2 tbsp butter

8 oz chicken broth from a carton (I use regular, not low sodium in this case)

2-4 tbsp of heavy cream

Pepper and other spices to taste

Method: 

Make a roux with your flour and butter, whisk over low heat for 2 minutes. Whisk in broth and cream until completely combined (read: not lumpy). Turn the heat up a bit - stirring occasionally - until it starts to thicken. Substitute anytime a recipe calls for Cream of Chicken Soup. Note: next time, I may change the broth to cream ratio a bit. I think this is a personal preference. 

Voila! 

Here is a link for the recipe that inspired this life changing culinary choice: 

Crispy Cheddar Chicken

I should note that this recipe is not perfect, at least not the way I made it. Some of the ingredients were hard to work with (I used freshly grated cheese, instead of the pre-grated stuff). I think the lack of anti-caking agents in the cheese I used made it more difficult. However, I find that even if it didn't look as pretty in the baking dish, it looked pretty delicious once plated...especially next to the roasted garlic potatoes and green beans. In case you don't believe me, here's a picture: 

Next time, I think I'll concoct Cream of Mushroom Soup. :)