Cream of...Soup Substitute

This is one of my MAIN recipes. I use it a couple of times a week for a for other dishes (tuna/beef noodle casserole, mashed potato pie, chicken pot pie, vegetable chicken gravy over biscuits...). It deserves a stand alone entry. Besides, Stephanie needs it!

Cream of Chicken Soup

This recipe yields about the same as 2 cans cream of chicken soup whisked with one can of milk which is what I used BEFORE finding this great recipe! 

I usually '5x' this for saucy meals. 

2 Tbsp melted butter or other fat of your choice 

3 Tbsp. White or freshly ground whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 cup chicken broth (I use 1/2 cup water and 2 tsp. Frontier Naturals chicken-flavored broth powder)

1/2 cup milk

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

Whisk flour into melted butter slowly until smooth. Remove from heat and gradually add liquids, stirring with whisk until smooth. Return to medium heat. Add salt and pepper, cook and stir till smooth and thick (about 10 minutes).

Easy and NO chemical additives, preservatives, etc, though the quality of your chicken bouillon is important. Find and use Frontier Naturals!! This is a multi-purpose gravy that substitutes for all the "Cream of" soups:

For celery, omit chicken broth, use one cup milk and add 1 cup sauteed celery.

For beef dishes, use beef broth powder instead.

We don't eat mushroom, but you could experiment and figure out how many mushrooms are right!

5X recipe.  This is what I use when I make a family size meal.

2/3 cups butter

1 cup flour

2 1/2 cups broth

2 1/2 cups milk

1 heaping tsp salt

1 tsp pepper 

When we are having guests and I’m making more than usual, I use these ratios:

1 cup butter

1 1/2 cups flour

3 3/4 cups broth

3 3/4 cups milk

1 1/2 tsp salt 

1 tsp pepper