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Japanese Cream Stew, also known as White Stew, is rich and creamy without being heavy. It’s a classic Yoshoku meal packed with tender chicken, bite-size vegetables, and served with steamed rice or crusty bread.
Japanese Cream Stew (クリームシチュー) is one of those meals that manages to hit the spot every time, especially on a chilly, winter evening. You may also see this dish referred to as White Stew (ホワイトシチュー), and it’s easy to guess why. Bite-size pieces of tender chicken, mushrooms, and colorful vegetables simmer together in a creamy white sauce before being ladled over steamed rice. It’s one of my favorite foods to make this time of year.
What Is Japanese Cream Stew (White Stew)?
Japanese Cream Stew is a simple meal to make, though the rich, savory flavors feel anything but. If you’ve ever had Japanese curry, this Cream Stew is not so different in terms of preparation and plating.
- Flavor: The layers of flavor in this dish come from sautéed chicken, onions, carrots, potatoes, and mushrooms. For rich, savory thickness, we add béchamel, which is essential for this recipe.
- Ease: After you chop the chicken and vegetables into bite-size pieces, all you have to do is throw everything into one pot and let it simmer. It doesn’t get much easier than that!
- Simmering: Once the meat and vegetables come to a boil, let it simmer for about 10 minutes before adding in your béchamel. Don’t overcook—we want the vegetables to hold their shape!
- Time: From start to finish, this meal takes no more than an hour.
Since its emergence in Japan in 1947 (more on this below), Cream Stew has become a classic Yoshoku dish, meaning it’s “a Japanese adaptation of a western dish.” Just like boxed curry, you can find Cream Stew Mix at Japanese grocery stores. But I guarantee you’ll never reach for the box again once you realize how rewarding and delicious it tastes when made from scratch!
When Was Cream Stew Created?
While simmered dishes (Nimono 煮物), have been a part of Japanese cuisine for a long time (e.g., Kakuni, Oden, Satoimo no Nimono), it wasn’t until Japan’s Meiji Era (1868-1912) that simmered dishes began featuring poultry and other types of meat. (Until then, it was more common to have fish and vegetables in your Nimono.) The Cream Stew I’m going to show you how to make today did not exist in Japan until after 1945.
Powdered milk, supplied by the U.S. government, was thought to be a calcium-rich remedy for children’s malnutrition after the war. This powdered milk was thickened with flour to make a white-colored stew with chicken and vegetables, and it soon became a popular part of Japan’s school lunches.
Almost twenty years after Cream Stew (or White Stew) made its debut in Japan in 1947, it was made accessible for home-cooks, too, thanks to one of Japan’s largest food manufacturers: House Foods. Similar to the boxed curry cubes you’d find in Japanese grocery stores, House Foods was the first to make Cream Stew Mix in boxes for quick, comforting meals at home.
What You Need To Make Cream Stew
Béchamel Sauce
The silky texture and light color of Japanese Cream Stew are the results of a béchamel, which is a base made from flour, butter, and milk. Béchamel sauce is considered one of the building blocks of classic French cuisine. It not only thickens your sauce, it adds richness without making the dish heavy.
Dutch Oven/Large Pot
This meal comes together in one pot, making it the perfect dish for busy weeknights. Unlike other stews or braising recipes, there is no long simmering time required here. All you need is a Dutch oven (or any large pot) so that there’s plenty of room to sauté your meat and vegetables before adding broth.
Chicken or Vegetable Broth
With broth as the base liquid for this stew, you get the added bonus of flavor and nourishment. If you prefer using vegetable broth over chicken broth (or if that’s what you have on hand), it will work fine. Both options will be complementary to the meat and vegetables.
Meat and Vegetables
Prepping these ingredients in advance makes cooking this stew even easier. I like to have all my vegetables chopped and set aside so that once the chicken is almost fully cooked (80%), I just throw them in the pot.
This dish is fairly versatile when it comes to the vegetables, but if you’re willing to try it, I highly recommend sticking to the ones I list in the recipe for that authentic, Japanese Cream Stew taste!
Shortcut: Storebought Cream Stew Mix (Roux)
In Japan, you can find Cream Stew Mix that looks like this.
All you need to do is to add the cubed roux into the broth. All the kids learn how to cook Japanese Curry and Cream Stew this way. Even though it’s not made with 100% “natural” ingredients, I’m not against using this. I personally think it’s a great way to learn how to cook a home-cooked dish with the help of the pre-mixed roux, and in my opinion, it’s better than buying fast food.
But, if you are up for it, making your own Bechamel sauce from scratch is always the best. My recipe below will show you exactly how.
How To Serve Cream Stew
Once your stew has finished simmering, let it cool till room temperature to really let the flavors meld and the sauce to thicken. Serve it in a wide bowl with freshly steamed rice and enjoy! This stew is also delicious with crusty bread—guaranteed to warm you right up.
If you want to freeze any leftovers, remove the potatoes (the texture changes once frozen) before you pack away your Cream Stew to save for another night.
Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want to look for substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.
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Japanese Cream Stew, also known as White Stew, is rich and creamy without being heavy. It’s a classic Yoshoku meal packed with tender chicken, bite-size vegetables, and served with steamed rice or crusty bread.
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs (2-4 pieces; the cut really depends on the store, so go by weight)
- ½ tsp kosher/sea salt (I use Diamond Crystal; Use half for table salt)
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 head broccoli (4 oz, 120 g)
- 1 tsp kosher/sea salt (I use Diamond Crystal; Use half for table salt) (for blanching broccoli)
- 1 onion (11 oz, 312 g)
- 2 carrots (9 oz, 255 g)
- 2 Yukon gold potatoes (16 oz, 453 g; Yukon gold potatoes hold their shape better than Russet potatoes)
- 6 cremini mushrooms (3 oz, 85 g)
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter (for cooking)
- 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (for cooking)
- 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 Tbsp heavy (whipping) cream (optional)
- 1 tsp kosher/sea salt (I use Diamond Crystal; Use half for table salt) (to taste)
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour (plain flour)
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 tsp kosher/sea salt (I use Diamond Crystal; Use half for table salt)
- ⅛ tsp white pepper powder
- ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
- Gather all the ingredients.
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Cut the chicken into 1 ½ inch pieces at a diagonal angle. The slanted surface gives each piece a flatter and more open surface so the chicken cooks evenly and faster. This cutting technique is called Sogigiri in Japanese.
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Season the chicken with salt and freshly ground black pepper
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Cut off the broccoli florets and remove the tough skin of the stem and cut into small pieces.
- Boil a pot of water and add salt. Start cooking the stem first for 1.5 to 2 minutes.
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Then add the florets and cook for 2 minutes, or until almost tender but crisp. Remove from the water and let cool. You can shock the blanched broccoli in ice water to make it as bright green as possible, but since I add them to the stew anyway, I usually skip that extra step. But don’t overcook as we will reheat them in the stew.
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Cut the onion in half lengthwise and then into wedges. Tip: Separate each layer at this step, then you don't have to do it in the pot later.
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Peel and cut the carrots at an angle into 1 ½ inch pieces, after rotating 90 degrees each time. This cutting technique is called Rangiri in Japanese.
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Cut the potatoes into 1 ½ inch pieces. For these Yukon gold potatoes, I did not remove the skin.
- Cut the mushroom stem and slice caps.
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In a large pot (I used a 4 ½ QT pot), heat 1 Tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat. If you're using a non-stick pot, you can omit the olive oil.
- Add the chicken and sauté until 80% cooked through.
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Add the onion and stir to cook until the chicken is no longer pink.
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Add the potatoes and carrots and coat well with oil in the pot.
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Add the chicken broth and 2 bay leaves.
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The chicken broth doesn’t have to fully cover ingredients at this time as they will be eventually submerged when vegetables release moisture. Bring it to a boil on medium heat.
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Once boiling, skim off the scum and foam and reduce heat to simmer.
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Add mushrooms and simmer on a gentle heat, covered, for 10 minutes (set timer!).
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Meanwhile (you have 10 minutes!), we make Bechamel Sauce. In a small saucepan, heat the butter and let it melt completely on medium-low heat. During this time, heat up the milk to warm to touch in the microwave or on the stove.
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Add in the flour and stir constantly, without stopping.
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The butter-flour mixture will swell and bubble. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, for the next 5 minutes. You want to make sure the flour is cooked and does not have raw flour taste.
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Slowly and gradually add warm milk to the saucepan, one tablespoon at a time while you combine it with the butter-flour mixture.
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Don’t hurry, and NEVER add too much liquid. You do not want to create lumps and once you get them, they are hard to fix.
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The goal is to blend the mixture COMPLETELY before you add more liquid.
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Add salt, white pepper, and nutmeg, and mix all together. Turn off the heat and set it aside.
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After 10 minutes of simmering, open the lid.
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Check the doneness by inserting a skewer into a potato. It should be tender, but don't overcook. It should not break easily. Scoop broth with a ladle.
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Slowly pour the broth into the Bechamel sauce while stirring to blend together completely.
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Add another ladle of broth and combine well. Now pour the white sauce back into the pot. Gently mix so that white sauce is well blended with the broth.
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Add the heavy cream (if you’re using it) and season with salt to taste.
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Simmer, uncovered, for another 5-10 minutes on low heat. [Optional Step] To improve the flavor, I highly encourage you to let the stew sit at the stove or counter to let cool to room temperature (keep the lid open). The stew will naturally thicken as the moisture evaporate and let the flavors meld as it cools.
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Right before serving, add the blanched broccoli to the stew to reheat. Simmer on low heat and do not boil. Once everything is nice and warm, serve the stew. Enjoy it with steamed rice or crusty bread.
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You can store the leftovers in an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. If you plan to freeze, remove the potatoes (their texture will change) and freeze for up to a month.
Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.
Editor’s Note: The original post was published on February 16, 2011. The post has been republished in December 2020 with a new recipe, new images, and updated content.
Hi, i came across this recently, and it looks amazing! The only problem is that I’m vegetarian, would it be fine to take the chicken out, or substitute with tofu?
Hi Brae! Sure, you can take out the meat. 🙂 If you add tofu, please add it right before you serve… all you need to do is to heat up tofu (you don’t have to “cook” it). If you add earlier, tofu may break into pieces. Hope you enjoy! 🙂
I just tried this recipe with my family, and it was delicious! Thank you for the tips!
Thank you so much for your feedback, Bae! I’m glad to hear you liked it. 🙂
Hi Nami, I have cooked this three times so far (I usually make the white sauce with finely diced onion whenever I cook a corned beef). Everyone I have cooked it for have enjoyed it and have begun preparing it themselves. The last two times has been a little different. Once was adding daikon radish instead of potato and instead of brocoli, I added snow peas just before adding the mushrooms. The other time was as your recipe is followed but adding curry powder as a twist (not enough to be hot but with just enough to give it a light and mild curry taste) I enjoy making curries, casseroles and stews so this will become part of my repatoir.
Hi Steve,
Thank you very much for your kind feedback and for sharing your cooking experience and tips with us!
Nami has many curry recipes as well. If you haven’t seen them, here is a link for you. https://www.justonecookbook.com/search/?q=curry
We hope you enjoy them too.😊
ルー無しで作るの初めてでした!家族内では大好評! 「とろけるクリームシチュー」の味に似てたので嬉しかったです (一番近い日本食スーパーは車で一時間程遠い所に引っ越しましたのでもう簡単に買えません)。弟にリンク送る程大好きでした♡ レシピどうも有難うございました! 今度はメンチカツに挑戦したいと思ってます。
紅さん、
コメントどうもありがとうございます!とっても嬉しかったです。ルーなしのシチュー気に入ってもらえて良かった~。私もむかーし日本のスーパーから離れたところに住んでいたので、状況、とてもよく分かります。メンチカツも気に入ってもらえると嬉しいです。ありがとう!
Hi Nami, Thank you very much for sharing this recipe. I am a beginner cook and your recipes are easy to follow and it’s always delicious.
Hi Amanda! I’m so happy to hear you enjoy my recipes. Thank you so much for your feedback! 🙂
Hi Nami! I tried a lot of you recipe and I like it all, just some of the recipe you post I cannot give it a try here since I couldn’t find the ingredients here in China (I am Chinese-Indonesian with Taiwanese husband living in China). I am so excited to find this white stew reciepe, back when I was in the States my husband (that time still bf) loves this but he always bought the roux and never saw it over here (hard to find curry roux too here). I will defenitly make this one for him , I guess make a surprise dinner for him…. I bet he will love it too! Thank you for all your recipe, I keep checking it everyday for my dinner menu with my family!
Hi Evelyn! Thank you so much for writing! I’m so happy to hear you enjoy my recipes! Hope you and your husband will enjoy this! My Taiwanese husband also likes this recipe! 😀
Wow, I’ve been looking for this recipe everywhere! My Japanese friend would always cook this with the Japanese White Stew Roux and I loved it! I can’t find it anywhere here in hawaii but now I can just make it from scratch 🙂 Thank you <3
Hi Eunji! It’s really easy to make and MSG free. 🙂 I hope you enjoy this recipe!
Really this very good receipe of the white stew.i have try and make delicious food
So happy to hear you tried it, and thank you for writing! 🙂
Thank you so much for this recipe! I was curious about trying white stew after seeing characters on a Japanese show eating it for dinner. This was one of the best stew/soup I’ve ever had. Sort of reminds me of potato soup, delicious. Thanks again! I look forward to trying more of your recipes.
Hi Jessica! I’m so happy to hear you liked it! I have to thank creators for Japanese anime and dramas because many people who watched tried my recipes like you! Thank you for giving it a try and I’m glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for your kind feedback! 🙂
I just made this today and my family loved it! It reminded us of chowder, and would be lovely with bread. My husband suggested adding clams next time for added brininess. Thanks for the great recipe!
Hi Ying! I’m so glad your family enjoyed it! Thanks so much for trying this recipe and writing your kind feedback here. 🙂 xo
This looks really interesting to me. I can’t have milk or flour. Do you know if anybody has ever made a similar stew, using tofu to make the creamy white sauce? I wonder if that would work.
Thank you so much for your videos, Instagram, and blog. I really enjoy them!
Take care,
Erin (from Livermore)
Hi Erin! Can you use soymilk and rice flour or GF flour? They work the same way. 🙂 Tofu is chunkier, so it can be a good ingredient in the stew, but I believe it’s not good to be used for soupy texture. Thank you for following JOC! You’re in the Bay Area too! 🙂
Hi Nami..I just bought a packet of Hokkaido Cream Stew Roux. Not sure how to use it. Hope you can share a recipe using the Cream Stew Roux?
Hi Angie! I know that brand. 🙂 You basically add that store-bought roux at the step when I add my bechamel sauce to the pot. The ingredients should be cooked through, so when the roux is added, you just need to cook for 5 minutes or so.
Hi Nami,
Must I use whipping cream for this recipe? Is there any non-dairy substitute I can use in place of it? My hubby is lactose intolerant but I’m keen to try out this recipe (looks real delicious). Thanks!
Hi Bernice! Sure! Heavy cream will give a more rich flavor but you can skip it. Either use lactose-free milk or try soymilk, oat milk, or almond milk?
Hi, apart from serving it with rice and bread. What is your suggestion for side dishes to go with this stew? Thx
NJ
Hi NJ! We always serve a salad in my household. 🙂
Thank you for your amazing recipes. My family loves every dish we’ve tried so far. I made your white stew in the instant pot, but now I’m planning on trying this version to compare. I’m planning on quadrupling the recipe for a family gathering. Should I quadruple all the ingredients including the milk and heavy cream? Thanks for your help.
Hi Kelly,
Thank you for trying many of Nami’s recipes and for your kind feedback.
Wow! Quadrupling!? To make a white sauce, we simply double and triple the ingredients, so it should work. But since we have not tried quadrupling this recipe ourselves, we are not too sure. Please let us know how it goes!
Hi Nami! I was wondering if you revised this recipe recently? I think previously your white stew recipe involved adding flour and whipping cream directly to the pan with other ingredients (e.g. chicken, carrots, potatoes), rather than making the white sauce separately? Actually I prefer making the white sauce separately as shown here/ now, since I worry about burning the flour in the pan with other ingredients.
On a separate note, my family and I have been enjoying your many recipes for the past 9 months! Your instructions are detailed and clear, and the flavours really suit our palate and age range (preteen to elderly).
Please keep up this inspiring work and labour of love! Happy Holidays!
Hi Juliana! Thanks for your kind comment. In fact, I did and made it a more classic way, and will plan to republish later this week. So happy to hear your family enjoy my recipes and thank you for making many of my recipes! 🙂
What a very interesting stew. I’ve never heard of a stew with a bechamel as the base. This is one for the winter soup list this year. Thanks Nami! I hope you and your family have an absolutely wonderful Holiday Season!!!
Hi mjskitchen,
We hope you enjoy this White Stew this winter!
Have a wonderful Holiday Season!😊
Hi Nami! I am a long-time reader, and a huge fan of your recipes! I’ve got to say, this is now my favorite comfort meal, ever. I live in Florida, but it’s gotten a bit cold this past week so I’ve been craving something warm. This was my first time making white stew but have wanted to try for quite some time….and just..WOW! It came out amazing! I had to stop myself from making another bowl. This recipe will become a go-to. Thank you!
Hi Summer!
Aww… Thank you very much for your kind feedback!
We are so happy to hear you enjoyed this Cream stew, and it’s now your go-to meal!
Please stay safe and Have a wonderful New Year!
This looks wonderful and I can’t wait to try it. Your recipes are excellent and I’m sure this will not be any different!
However, I’d like to make it with something other than chicken. Would seafood work in this? What would you suggest to substitute? Thank you so much!
Hi J,
Thank you very much for your kind feedback!
Seafood cream stew is delicious too! However, Seafood cooks faster than Chicken, so recommend adding Seafood when you combine White Sauce and Broth after cooking vegetables.
We hope this helps!
I would give this recipe more than 5 stars if that was an option!
Two thumbs up.
10 out of 10.
A definite keeper.
I made this on a weeknight, and it was quick to get on the table, and then we sat around eating it, mmmm-ing the entire time. You’ve hit this one out of the park, Nami!
Hi Tammy,
Aww… We are so happy to hear you enjoyed this Cream Stew!
Thank you very much for trying this recipe and for your sweet comment!
Thank you for your many recipes. I made your recipe but followed the boxed roux version in comments and substituted french beans for broccoli (none available that day). It was super yummy. I love your Instagram and Facebook posts too!