Japanese Cream Stew is the dish that gives you that warm and comforting feeling on those chilly evenings. This chicken cream stew has a combination of hearty ingredients like potatoes, carrots, mushrooms and broccoli. This one pot dish takes 30 or so minutes to cook and makes a huge portion, which is great for families or for meal prep.
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The stew is decadent like clam chowder but light enough that you can eat many servings without that ‘heavy’ feeling. Serve with toasted bread or white rice to complement this delicious Japanese cream stew!
Ingredients:
Here’s a look at what you need to make Japanese Cream Stew. The highlights are here but the full ingredient list and quantities of each are in the recipe card.
- Unsalted butter – helps saute the vegetables and provide a fragrant flavor
- Chicken thigh – I recommend to use chicken thighs because you can cook them for a long time and the meat is not dry.
- Garlic – a light yet fragrant flavor for the stew
- Onion – provides sweetness to the stew.
- White wine (sub with water or sake if you don’t have wine) – takes the gaminess out of the chicken and balances the sweetness of the stew
- Yukon gold potatoes – soaks up the creamy flavor and savoriness of the sauce
- Carrots – adds sweetness and heartiness to the stew.
- Everyday seasoning (blend of sea salt, mustard seeds, black peppercorns, coriander, onion, garlic, paprika & chili pepper) – optional but highly recommended!
- Unsalted chicken broth
- Japanese cream stew mix – (store-bought mix) – similar to a béchamel sauce
- Whole milk – this adds creaminess to the stew. If you want to use 2% milk, that works too!
- Broccoli – the broccoli soaks up the sauce well and is a great vegetable to add in stew.
- Mushrooms – gives a nice texture and sweetness to the cream stew. Mushrooms and cream are a perfect complement!
STEPS TO MAKE THE JAPANESE CREAM STEW:
Step 1. Start by preparing your ingredients. Cut the chicken into 1 inch pieces and chop the garlic, potato, carrot, and onion into small pieces. Slice the mushrooms and broccoli and set aside.
Step 2. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the onion is translucent.
Step 3. Add the cut chicken and add 1 teaspoon salt and black pepper to the pot and cook for 2 minutes. Afterwards, add ¼ cup white wine to the pot. The white wine helps deglaze the pot and takes out the gaminess of the chicken. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
Step 4. Add chopped potatoes, carrots, garlic seasoning, everyday seasoning, water and unsalted chicken broth to the pot. Stir everything together and boil for 12-15 minutes, covered.
PRO TIP: Check if the potatoes are tender by poking them with a fork. The potatoes should be soft but not break apart when poked.
Step 5. Finally, add 1 cup milk, cut broccoli and sliced mushrooms. Use half box Japanese cream stew mix to the pot and stir well. Cook for 5 minutes until the broccoli cooks to your desired tenderness. If the sauce is too thick to your liking, add a few tablespoons of milk and stir.
Step 6. Sauce should be thickened & creamy; not watery after cooking!
Additional Substitutions
If you want to change up the vegetables, here are some of my suggestions below.
Vegetables
- Corn – add some corn for additional sweetness
- Peas – frozen peas would be a great add if you like them or have them on hand
- Baby corn – soft and juicy baby corn is a great addition for this stew
- Bamboo – the taste is mild and it would provide some crunch
Protein
You can use chicken breast or shrimp if you don’t want to use chicken thighs. For protein variations, check out the FAQ for how to cook the proteins.
Recipe FAQs
There are three different ways you can serve this stew:
Rice – white rice is usually served with this Japanese cream stew. The rice soaks up all the delicious flavors of the creamy chicken and it’s my favorite way to serve it! You can also eat with a Sesame Seaweed Salad for a full meal.
Toasted bread – the crispy bread works great with the creamy sauce. If you like creamy dishes with bread, check out these delicious Turkish Eggs.
By itself! – the stew is delicious on it’s own and isn’t too salty or heavy. You can eat lots of it at once and the taste resembles clam chowder in my opinion.
I used instant cream stew mix for a convenient shortcut which makes the stew creamier and slightly sweeter. You can buy japanese cream stew cubes at the asian grocery store like hmart, 99 ranch or nijiya. 
To have the best flavor, I recommend buying the house cream stew mix from the store. If you want to make your own you will need make your own roux. I saw that Just One Cookbook has the recipe on her blog site.
Yes, if you want to change to chicken breast, I would recommend to follow the directions until Step 6. Take the chicken out at Step 6 and then add it back in at Step 7 when the sauce has thickened. Finish cooking the chicken breast for a few minutes in the creamy chicken stew. I think this method would ensure that the chicken would be extra moist! If you want to use shrimp, I would recommend adding raw shrimp at the same time as the broccoli and mushroom in Step 7. This would ensure that the shrimp is not rubbery and cooked perfectly.
Expert Tips
- Use the Japanese cream stew mix pack if you can! The pack saves time and tastes delicious!
- Add the broccoli towards the end of the cooking so it doesn’t get mushy. It’s important not to cook the potatoes too long or else your sauce get’s to thick and mushy.
- Use whole milk so the sauce is extra creamy. I’ve found that using 2 percent makes the sauce more watery and not as thick.
Check Out More Delicious Soups:
- Easy Udon Soup – thick chewy noodles cooked in a dashi stock
- Authentic Hot and Sour Soup – spicy and tangy soup with tofu and mushrooms
- Easy Korean Army Stew – savory and spicy stew with ramyun, spam, and sausages.
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Japanese Cream Stew
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken thigh (boneless) cut in 1 inch pieces
- 1 head broccoli cut in small pieces
- 10 cremini mushroom sliced
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 4 garlic cloves chopped
- 1 onion cubed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- black pepper to taste
- ¼ cup white wine*
- 4 yukon gold potatoes peeled and cut in 1 inch pieces
- 2 carrots peeled and cut in 1 inch pieces
- 1 teaspoon garlic seasoning
- ½ teaspoon everyday seasoning optional
- ½ cup water
- 1 cup unsalted chicken broth
- ½ box Japanese cream stew mix (store-bought)
- 1 cup whole milk or 2% milk
Instructions
- Start by preparing your ingredients. Cut the chicken into 1 inch pieces and chop the garlic, potato, carrot, and onion into small pieces.1 onion, 4 yukon gold potatoes, 2 carrots
- Slice the mushrooms and broccoli and set aside.1 head broccoli, 10 cremini mushroom
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the onion is translucent.2 tablespoon unsalted butter, 4 garlic cloves, 1 onion
- Add the cut chicken and add 1 teaspoon salt and black pepper to the pot and cook for 2 minutes.1 pound chicken thigh (boneless), 1 teaspoon salt, black pepper
- Add ¼ cup white wine to the pot. The white wine helps deglaze the pot and takes out the gaminess of the chicken. In addition, I've found the acidity of the wine balances the sweetness of the creamy sauce. Cook for 2-3 minutes.¼ cup white wine*
- Add chopped potatoes, carrots, garlic seasoning, everyday seasoning, water and unsalted chicken broth to the pot. Stir everything together and boil for 12-15 minutes, covered.4 yukon gold potatoes, 2 carrots, 1 teaspoon garlic seasoning, ½ teaspoon everyday seasoning, ½ cup water, 1 cup unsalted chicken broth
- Finally, add 1 cup milk, cut broccoli and sliced mushrooms. Use half box Japanese cream stew mix to the pot and stir well. Cook for 5 minutes until the broccoli cooks to your desired tenderness. Note: If the sauce is too thick to your liking, add a few tablespoons of milk and stir for 1 minute. Slowly add more milk if you need it, but not too much or it will be watery!½ box Japanese cream stew mix (store-bought), 1 head broccoli, 10 cremini mushroom, 1 cup whole milk
- Serve hot by itself or with some toasted bread. It is also very delicious to eat the stew with white rice.
Notes
- Use the Japanese cream stew mix pack if you can! The pack saves time and tastes delicious!
- Add the broccoli towards the end of the cooking so it doesn’t get mushy. It’s important not to cook the potatoes too long or else your sauce get’s to thick and mushy.
- Use whole milk so the sauce is extra creamy. I’ve found that using 2 percent makes the sauce more watery and not as thick.
Asdy Wan says
I never knew such a dish existed but when I saw this come up I knew I had to make it. And it has now become my absolute staple to eat, especially in the winter!!
Emily says
Is there something I can substitute for the cream stew cubes? Stores near me only offer regular japanese curry cubes
Cook With Dana says
Hi Emily, for the substitute, I read online that you can create the Béchamel Sauce. I recommend to take a look at this recipe: https://www.justonecookbook.com/white-stew/