Here are eight chicken of the woods recipes to try with your own foraged food if you’ve collected chicken of the woods mushrooms and are looking for something to eat with them.
A young man with a knife and baking tray walked onto our lawn about a year ago as my husband played baseball in our front yard with our two boys one evening. A little suspicious, as you might imagine, my husband approached this man and asked if he needed anything. This man, who turned out to be quite friendly, was hoping to forage the fungus growing on the dead tree in our yard.
Yes, you read that right. He desired to consume the fungus on a tree in our front yard that was slowly decomposing to death.
We have no experience foraging food and thought little of the orange and yellow shelves of spongy’shrooms adorning our tree, but we had a sizeable amount of chicken of the woods mushrooms growing on a dying ash tree in our front yard.
Apparently, the chicken of the woods mushroom is pretty easy for an experienced forager to identify due to its very unique appearance as a result of its brightly colored mushrooms are visible from the street.
My husband loves mushrooms, but I can’t stand their spongy texture, so we debated cooking up some of the mushrooms ourselves.
In the end, a few people came to take some of the mushrooms, including a local chef, and they apparently made some delicious delicacies. Instead, I offered them up on our Buy Nothing group, and the interest shot up in a matter of hours.
- Preheat your grill (or grill pan set over a stove) to medium heat. Add Chicken of the Woods mushrooms to the grill, arranging so they do not overlap. …
- Remove the heavy pan, and brush the mushrooms all over with butter or olive oil, adding more as needed. …
- Serve warm with your favorite sauce.
Foraging and Grilling Chicken of the Woods Mushrooms
Sautéed Chicken of the Woods 🔗
0
Prep: 15min
Total: 30min
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound tender Chicken of the Woods (cleaned and sliced into 1/2' strips)
- 2 shallots (sliced)
- 3 cloves garlic (sliced)
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley (chopped)
Instruction:
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
- Spread the mushrooms out in an even layer in the skillet. Cook until the mushrooms start to slightly brown, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the shallots and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the shallot is tender, about 4-5 minutes.
- Pour in the white wine into the skillet and stir. Cook until most of the wine has been absorbed by the mushrooms, about 4-5 minutes.
- Stir in the lemon juice and parsley and enjoy!
FAQ
Should you soak Chicken of the Woods?
Chicken mushrooms will soak up water and become soggy and flavorless, unlike most other mushrooms, which can be tossed into a bowl of salt water to get rid of the bugs and dirt.
Should Chicken of the Woods be boiled?
The mushrooms should be thoroughly cleaned to remove any dirt or other particles before being prepared for a dish. The mushrooms can be blanched, fried, sautéed, or baked — much like other mushrooms you would use in a favorite recipe.
Does Chicken of the Woods taste like chicken?
Best eaten young as the older specimens become woody and acrid to the taste. Taste / Smell Mushroomy and said to taste like chicken to some. It has the same texture as chicken and is good in stews as a veggie “meat.”