This creamy, hearty, and delicious Japanese Cream Stew is a popular western-style (yoshoku) dish consisting of chicken and vegetables with a savory white sauce. Cooked in the Instant Pot, it’s a true comfort food in cold winter months!
The Japanese have an affinity for western-influenced dishes like Japanese Curry, Tonkatsu, Korokke (Croquettes), and Hayashi Rice (recipe coming soon). Known as the Yoshoku (洋食), they inevitably play a big part in shaping what Japanese cuisine is today.
Cream Stew (クリームシチュー), or sometimes called White Stew (ホワイトシチュー), is one of those favorites you can find on the yoshoku menu. Many Japanese families with young children enjoy the dish frequently at both home and restaurants. Today we’re making this delicious cream stew in my favorite Instant Pot!
No pressure cooker (Instant Pot)? here’s my Japanese Cream Stew recipe you can cook on the stovetop.
What is Cream Stew (White Stew)?
You probably have some idea of what Cream Stew tastes like. Interesting enough, there is no “Japanese” element in the recipe at all, yet it’s a somewhat uniquely Japanese dish. Here, chicken (or pork), onions, carrots, and potatoes are cooked in chicken or vegetable broth, and the white sauce roux (bechamel sauce) is added to thicken the stew.
Why Cream Stew is such a family favorite? Aside from deliciousness, the cooking process is very similar to making Japanese Chicken Curry. Up until you add the roux (bechamel sauce), it’s pretty much identical to the base for curry. That means you can decide whether to make a cream stew or curry at the last minute!
The Japanese love the convenience of using packaged Japanese Curry Roux or Cream/White Stew Roux. All you need to do is to dissolve the cubed roux in the pre-seasoned stew.
However, today, we’ll make everything from scratch!
What is White Sauce (Béchamel) and How to Make It
White sauce (ホワイトソース), or also known as Béchamel sauce, is a classic all-purpose French sauce made from butter, flour, and milk. It pretty much forms the basis of French dishes, such as casseroles, cream croquettes, and savory soufflés. And it’s pretty easy and simple to make at home.
Here are the 3 simple steps.
- Warm up the milk in the microwave or in a pot over the stovetop.
- Melt the butter, add flour, and whisk until flour is cooked.
- Gradually add warm milk until thickened to the right consistency.
The Basic White Sauce Ratio
A roux is usually a mixture of an equal volume of butter and flour. Here in this recipe, I used 3 tablespoons (43 g) of butter and 3 tablespoons (23 g) of all-purpose flour. Besides butter, ghee, coconut oil or other fat can be used. You can also use gluten-free flour in place of all-purpose flour.
The roux then will be mixed with 2 cups of milk, and the amount can be adjustable based on how thick you want the sauce to be. In this recipe, I used 1 cup milk and 1 cup liquid from the stew.
Cream Stew Ingredients and Substitutes:
1. Protein
Chicken and pork are typically used as the main protein, but feel free to substitute with other choices. I think seafood works beautifully in the stew. For vegetarian, you can skip protein and use just vegetables. Perhaps cauliflower or a variety of wild mushrooms as your main ingredient.
2. Vegetables
Onions, potatoes, and carrots are the basic vegetables in the cream stew. Most cream stew has some type of green vegetables; broccoli is a popular choice, then green peas and green beans.
For potatoes, Yukon Gold potatoes have a smooth, slightly waxy, and firm texture. Russet potatoes have a creamy, crumbly, starchy texture, but they don’t hold their shape well. If you like to use this type, remember to cut it into bigger chunks as I did.
3. Mushrooms
Button mushrooms are commonly used but some people use Japanese mushrooms like shimeji mushrooms and maitake mushrooms. I don’t recommend shiitake mushrooms as they have distinct flavors and fragrance that don’t go well with this dish.
4. Stock
The packaged cream stew roux requires simple water, but when you make a homemade white sauce (bechamel sauce), I recommend using chicken or vegetable broth to create more depth and complexity in the flavors.
5. Other Commonly Used Ingredients
Heavy cream, corn, and cheese are common additions to the cream stew.
How to Cook Cream Stew without Instant Pot
If you don’t own an Instant Pot, double the amount of chicken/vegetable broth (add more if broth doesn’t cover the ingredients) and cook all the ingredients in the pot for 20 minutes. The rest of the process is the same.
3 Tips to Make Instant Pot Cream Stew
1. Cut vegetables into uniform sizes or adjust the cutting size.
Each vegetable, whether hard or tender, must be cooked under the same amount of time in the Instant Pot. To achieve the perfect texture, you need to cut the vegetables into uniform sizes so they cook roughly at the same rate.
One trick to shorten the cooking time is to cut the tough vegetables into slightly smaller sizes so they cook faster.
If one vegetable tends to cook too fast, you may need to cut it into a slightly bigger size. In this recipe, that’s Russet potatoes. If you cut the potatoes into the same size as other vegetables, these starchy potatoes will be disintegrated into the stew.
2. Make the white sauce outside of the Instant Pot and add it after pressure cooking
Milk isn’t so great in the Instant Pot as the high heat and pressure separate the milk proteins and lead to curdling. Although it is perfectly safe to eat, it doesn’t look appetizing.
Therefore, you have to make the white sauce in a separate pot, and then add the sauce after you’re finished pressure cooking. All you need to do is to combine and warm everything up on lower heat until the right consistency.
3. Add separately-blanched green vegetables at the end.
Do not cook the green vegetables in the Instant Pot as they will change to dark and sad-looking greens. Instead, blanch the green vegetables of your choice in a separate pot, and add them to reheat together. This way, you retain the beautiful color in your dish.
I hope you add this instant pot cream stew to your family dinner rotation. Comforting, warm, and delicious, it could well be on its way to becoming your kids’ nostalgic craving in the future.
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Instant Pot Cream Stew
Video
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken thigh (substitute it with vegetables/mashrooms for vegetarian)
- ½ tsp kosher/sea salt (I use Diamond Crystal; use half for table salt)
- freshly ground black pepper
- 2 potatoes (14 oz, 397 g; you can use Yukon gold or Russet potatoes – I used russet potatoes today)
- 1 carrot (4.5 oz, 128 g)
- 1 onion (10 oz, 280 g)
- 5 mushrooms
- 1 head broccoli (small)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 ¾ cup chicken broth (or vegetable broth; If you don't use a pressure cooker, use 2 cups/480ml chicken/vegetable broth and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until vegetables are tender.)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 box Japanese Cream Stew Mix (or make your own by following my White Sauce/Bechamel Sauce recipe below)
White Sauce (Bechamel Sauce)
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour (plain flour)
- ⅛ tsp white pepper powder (highly recommend!)
- freshly ground black pepper
- ½ – 1 tsp kosher/sea salt (I use Diamond Crystal; use half for table salt)
- 1 cup milk (I used 2% lactose milk)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
Prepare Stew Ingredients
- Peel and cut each potato into bigger chunks (if you want to keep their shape when serving).
- Peel the carrot and cut into smaller chunks. I use "rangiri" Japanese cutting technique.
- Cut the onion in half lengthwise, and then cut each half into 6 wedges. Finally, cut them in half widthwise.
- Slice the mushrooms and cut the head of broccoli into florets.
- Cut the chicken thighs into smaller pieces. I use "sogigiri" Japanese cutting technique to create more surface space so the chicken pieces cook faster. Season the chicken with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
To Cook Ingredients in Instant Pot
- Press the “Sauté” button on your Instant Pot and heat 1 Tbsp olive oil and 1 Tbsp unsalted butter.
- When the pot is hot and butter is melted, add the chicken.
- Stir and coat the chicken with oil.
- Add the onion, carrot, mushrooms, and potatoes.
- Add the chicken broth and 1 bay leaf.
- Close the lid and set HIGH pressure for 2 minutes. If you use a packaged Japanese Cream Stew Mix, add 1 box of Japanese Cream Stew Mix (break into small cubes) on top of the ingredients (DO NOT MIX) and close the lid to cook. Once pressure cooking is done, stir and wait to see how it thickens. Add more cubes to achieve the consistency you like.
- Make sure the steam release handle points at “sealing” and not “venting”. The float valve goes up when pressurized.
To Cook Ingredients in the Pot over the Stove
- Heat the olive oil and butter in the pot over medium heat. Add the chicken and saute for 2 minutes. Then add onion and carrot and cook until coated with oil. Add the mushrooms, potatoes, broth (3.5 cups/800 ml), and bay leaf. Bring it to boil, then reduce heat to simmer (low) to cook for 20 minutes, or until carrots and potatoes are tender.
To Blanch Broccoli
- While pressure cooking, blanch broccoli. Bring water to boil in a small saucepan. Once boiling, add a pinch of salt and broccoli florets.
- Cook until tender but do not overcook. Transfer the broccoli to ice water to stop cooking further. Once cool, remove, drain, and set aside.
To Make White Sauce (Bechamel Sauce)
- In a saucepan, melt the butter on medium heat but don’t let it brown. Microwave 1 cup of milk until it is warm to the touch and set aside.
- Once the butter is melted completely, add the flour.
- Stir quickly and constantly with a whisk to combine. Cook the flour mixture for 3-4 minutes, without letting it brown.
- Pour a small amount of the warm milk at a time, and stir as the sauce thickens.
- Gradually add the rest of the milk by whisking continually until smooth. Cook, stirring constantly, until starting to bubble and thicken.
- Lower the heat and add white pepper and salt to taste.
- Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Once Pressure Cooking Is Done…
- When it’s finished cooking, the Instant Pot will switch automatically to the “Keep Warm” mode. Let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes and then proceed with the quick release by turning the steam release handle to the “venting” position to let steam out until the float valve drops down. Tip: Hold a kitchen towel and do not place your hand or face over the steam release valve. There should only be a little bit of steam left after 15 minutes of natural release.
- Open the lid and insert a skewer in the center of the potato to see if it’s cooked through.
- Using a ladle, take out 1 cup of soup from the stew.
- Put the white sauce back on the stove and heat on low heat. Add several tablespoons of the soup and whisk well to combine.
- Gradually add the rest of soup, stirring constantly, to combine.
- Put the white sauce back in the instant pot and gently mix the white sauce with the rest of stew.
- Press the “Sauté” button on your Instant Pot and press “Adjust” to set “Less” heat.
- The stew will thicken as it’s heated. Season with freshly ground black pepper and discard the bay leaf if you can find it.
- Add the blanched broccoli and heat up. Serve the steamed rice on one side of the bowl and pour the Cream Stew on the other side of the bowl.
To Store
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months (but remove potatoes as they will change the texture once frozen).
Nami-san, good day to you! A Nb d thank for your wonderful recipes.
Please confirm that this recipe requires only 2 minutes of high pressure cooking. Is there some mistake? Will meat be cooked in such a short time? How is total cooking time 1 hour then?
Hi Tanya, Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
Yes! Step 6 cooking time is 2 minutes and let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes and then proceed with the quick release. The meat will continue to cook while naturally releasing the pressure for 15 minutes.
The total cooking time includes the time for sautéing, making a white sauce, etc.
We hope this helps!🙂
I love to make this all the time in the cold months, and I use the leftovers for chicken pot pie 🙂 so good. Using Maitake tonight because they were on sale!
Hi Mitchell, Adding Maitake sounds delicious!😋 Thank you very much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback!
This was delicious. Made it tonight and yum!
Hi Christine, We are so glad to hear you enjoyed this Stew! Thank you very much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback.
Can I ask where did you get the gold silverware for the photos? I love the long thin handles that look like chopsticks.
Hi Fumi! It’s from Cutipol Goa collection. 🙂
In Germany we have something similar: Chicken fricassee, its with onions, carrots, peas, mushrooms and black salsify or asparagus.
Hi Sascha!
Thank you very much for your input!
Chicken Fricassee sounds delicious. We have to taste it one day.😀
I was wondering if i could use a slow cooker instead, if i were to use a slow cooker, how long does it need to cook for and what should i increase or decrease with?
Hi Kin,
You can double the amount of chicken/vegetable broth (3.5 cups/800 ml) and cook LOW for 6-8 hours. Low and slow is the best with milk and dairy products for the slow cookers. You may also cook this in the regular soup pot on the stovetop for 20 minutes, as Nami mentioned in the recipe notes.
We hope this helps!
This recipe is brilliant. It tastes so much better than the packaged mix. I love all of your recipes. They taste so great and bring back nice memories of living in Japan 🙂
Hi Lauren! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe (and others!). Thank you so much for your kind feedback. 🙂
When I cook this stew in a regular pot, should I follow the same steps – make the roux on the side, then once the potatoes are done cooking, add a bit of the broth to the roux, stir and add the roux to the broth? If so, how long do I cook the stew (with the roux) for?
I also want to ask. How can I incorporate heavy whipping cream to this recipe? I just happen to have some, so I want to use it!
Yes, it will be richer and more delicious. 🙂
How much of heavy whipping cream should I add? Should I add the end or the beginning? Thank you for replying!
Hi September! I always add at the end, just drizzle around on top of the stew and mix well. So… that would be like 1/4 to 1/3 cup, maybe? 🙂
Thank you so much! I will try this and let you know!
Hi September! Yes, the same steps. The reason why you don’t want to put all the roux in is that while you’re mixing, maybe you break the potatoes with your ladle… if that is not your worry, you can just pour in the roux and mix. After the roux is in, make sure the consistency is what you like. You can reduce to let the moisture evaporate more or add broth if needed. The roux is cooked already so you just have to thicken the main stew to your consistency. 🙂
If I am using the roux, should I still add milk? Or is the 1 and 3/4 cup water all I need for the liquid? Thanks
Hi Kana! I don’t have the roux with me and I don’t know the required cooking liquid for that. So check the box. Instant Pot doesn’t evaporate any cooking liquid, so the amount of the liquid mentioned in the box calculates a bit of evaporation too, I believe.
Hm I wonder if I could use unsweetened almond milk in place of milk since I don’t do well with milk 🙁
What do you think?
Hi Jos! I’ve made it with lactose-free milk and it works. I had never tried it with almond milk, but if you don’t mind the almond milk taste, it should be okay. I have this previous history of eating Cream Stew, so it’s a bit strange if I taste or smell almond milk in this recipe. 🙂
Hi Nami,
This turned out delicious! My two year old absolutely loved it and eagerly ate a huge serving. This is definitely going into rotation 🙂 Thank you for sharing yet another easy and tasty meal.
Hi Janice! Thank you so much for your kind words. I’m so happy your 2-year-old enjoyed this dish! That’s everything a cook wishes for! When kids response with a big smile and enjoy the food you cook, all the effort and time become worth it. I love that feeling, which probably hooked me to cook good food for my family. 🙂
Hi Nami,
For this recipe, I noticed that you used 3 tablespoon of butter + 3 tablespoon of flour, is it possible to reduce to 2 tablespoon of butter + 2 tablespooon of flour instead? Or can I replace the butter with olive oil?
Hi Crystal! You can reduce it but reduce the amount of liquid too, as you won’t have much white sauce. Maybe use slightly less amount of ingredients than I specified so you will have enough sauce/soup. You can make it with olive oil I think. I feel like I’ve tried it before… I just can’t remember how it was like. But any fat should be albe to make the roux. 🙂
Great. Thanks for the quick reply. I want to try out this recipe this weekend. If I use olive oil, how much should I put? Would it be 2 tablespoons of olive oil + 2 tablespoons of flour?
Yes, the fat should be same amount. I forgot to tell you yesterday that I sometimes combine butter and olive oil too… 🙂
Delicious! I’m so glad that I found this recipe. I added another large carrot and used a chicken breast instead of the thighs. The chicken was still tender, and not dry at all. The flavor is really good!!!
Hi Judy! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for your kind feedback. 🙂
Hi. I’m making this for dinner now without an instant pot, and I have added the white sauce to the stew. It does not thicken as it does in the pictures. There is too much liquid. Was I supposed to discard some of the broth in the stew before adding the white sauce? If so, that is not mentioned in your recipe.
Hi Sunniva! I am sorry I couldn’t write you back sooner. Is it possible that your ingredients somehow introduced more liquid? I did not remove any of the broth. Because it’s cooked in the IP (enclosed vessel unlike the pot where steam evaporates), the amount of liquid I used is pretty minimal (See step 5). And when the white sauce is made, I use the soup to mix, and then pour back. I don’t have “plenty” of liquid. So only thing I that I’m thinking is that your ingredients release more moisture. Otherwise, your method (not IP) should evaporate more liquid and amount of liquid should be less than mine. Hope this makes sense…
Thank you for a quicker version of my kid’s favorite soup. We were out of potatoes and used cauliflower instead and it was just as good. (^.^)
Hi Dawn! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Cauliflower sounds a perfect addition! Thank you fo trying this recipe! 🙂
This looks so comforting! I’m having a hysterectomy next week & am hoping to eat this during recovery. Do you think if I cook the entire recipe, let it cool & freeze it would be ok? I was thinking of freezing it & when I’m ready to eat it I can put in fridge over night & just spoon portion I desire & reheat in microwave or stovetop. Thoughts? I’m batch cooking bonito broth today so I can make a few quick soups too.
Hello Jen! Yes, you can do that, but I would avoid adding potatoes. When potatoes are frozen, they change their texture and won’t be tasty. So if you know you will freeze, avoid adding potatoes. 🙂 Other than that, freezing, defrosting and reheating works perfectly. Good luck with your hysterectomy next week and I hope for your fast recovery! xoxo
I have tried this recipe for today’s lunch and we loved it! Thank you very much for sharing 🙂
My husband and I lived in Japan for over 10 years and I used to make cream stew using roux. It is the first time I made the sauce from scratch. I am surprised how easy and tasty it is. It is going to be a nice addition to our family meals. I can’t wait to try other recipes!
Hi Sabah! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and I’m so glad to hear everyone enjoyed it! Thank you for your kind feedback and I hope you enjoy other recipes on the site. 🙂
I made this dish following your recipe..it was excellent.. Kids love it. Thank you.
Yay!!!! I’m so happy to hear that. My kids looooove this dish too! Thank you very much for your kind feedback! xo
I love watching your videos and getting the recipes via email. I also love that I am learning words in Japanese so that is a bonus for me. Learning to cook and learning a new language, the best of both worlds. Keep up the good work and have a wonderful day. 🙂
Hi Jacquie! Your words are so sweet and thank you so much for your feedback. 🙂 I’m just happy that you’re enjoying contents I’m producing. Thanks for following along!
Can I use soy milk instead of whole milk?
Hi Amelie! Sure, you can do that. 🙂
I simply love your simple tasty recipes. The pictures of the ingredients are one of the reasons that I use your recipes so often. Thank you.
Hi Penelope! Thank you so much for your kind words. So happy to know that I’m cooking my recipes with you at a different location! 🙂 It’s good to know you like the pictures for ingredients. Thank you for your feedback!
Hi, if I use the packaged roux, what heat level and total cook time should I use? Thanks!
Hi Helen! If you use a packaged Cream Stew Roux, place 1/2 package of the roux on top of the ingredients (do not mix in) and close the lid to cook (same way). Once pressure cooking is done, stir and wait to see how it thickens. Add more cubes to achieve the consistency you like.
Definitely gonna try this! Looks really yummy for the cold weather. The bowl is lovely too!
Hi Uayuil! Hope you enjoy this dish. It is so nice and comforting in winter time!