Vegan Cream of Chicken Soup

A rich and creamy dairy-free cream of chicken soup made with vegan chicken.

Course Soup

Cuisine American, gluten free, vegan

Keyword vegan cream of chicken soup

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 15

Total Time 20

Servings cups

Calories 207kcal

1/2 cup mushrooms chopped
1/2 cup green bell peppers diced
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon salt
5 cups water (or 5 cups broth of choice if not using bullion cubes).
2 cubes not chick'n broth (or 5 cups vegetable broth instead of water and cubes)
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional for a savory flavor)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup Butler soy curls (dry) or 2 cups of vegan chicken strips
2 cups soy milk or any other plain plant-based milk
1 dash salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup canola oil or vegan margarine
1/2 cup flour (use an all purpose gluten free flour without sorghum's flour if GF)

Chop mushrooms and peppers into small pieces.
Sauté the mushrooms and peppers in a tbsp of oil over medium-low heat, and sprinkle with a little salt.
Cook the mushrooms and peppers for about 5 minutes until they release their juices.
Add the broth and spices and bring to a slow boil.
If using soy curls, break them into small pieces before adding them to the broth. (If using other vegan chicken strips, see notes below.)
Dump in the Butler Soy curls and cook for another 3-4 minutes until they are soft.
Pour the plant-based milk into the soup.

Heat oil or soy margarine in a separate soup pot.
Add the flour to the oil and whisk until smooth. It will start to bubble, thicken slightly, and look like the picture below.
Skim off ladles full of the broth out of your soup, leaving large pieces of vegan chicken and veggies behind.
Add the hot broth from the chicken soup one ladle at a time, stirring well between each additional scoop.
Add the remaining soup with the chicken and veggies once most of the broth has been incorporated into the roux.

Tips for making a roux

When you first add the broth to the oil and flour mixture, it will become very thick at first and look like a paste. Don’t worry, it will thin out and be the right consistency once you add all the broth.
Be sure to stir it well between each ladle of broth to keep it smooth.
Use a spoon to scrape the bottom corners of the pan, making sure to get any roux that has stuck there.
You can reduce the oil to 1/4 cup to make a lower-fat roux.

The starch method to thicken the soup

You can also thicken the soup with cornstarch (or potato starch) and water.
Use ¼ cup cornstarch dissolved in ½ cup cold water, and then add it to the hot broth at the end, once all other ingredients have been added. Heat until it bubbles and thickens.

How to use vegan chicken strips instead of soy curls

Use 2 cups (16 oz) of a vegan chicken product to replace the soy curls. (One cup of soy curls will soak up about 1 cup of broth and double in size.)
If you are using chicken strips, add them with the mushrooms and peppers, and sauté for a few minutes before adding the broth.
Make sure to reduce the broth if you are not using soy curls. Add only 4 cups of broth instead of 5, since the soy curls soak up about 1 cup of the broth.