How To Cook Chicken of the Woods Mushroom | Recipes

See how to cook Chicken of the Woods mushroom in many the same ways as you cook chicken. Healthy, easy & deliciously sauteed and fried.

The Chicken of the Woods mushroom is one of my favorite mushrooms to harvest to eat.  These chicken mushrooms get huge and can really feed you for a long time.  But the best part to me is that they are loaded with protein!

A couple of the most popular species of Chicken of the Woods are:

1. Laetiporus sulphureus
2. Laetiporus Cincinnatus

If you would like to learn more about the nutrition and health benefits of the Chicken of the Woods mushroom (AKA the Sulphur Shelf), then check out our other article here:

Because of the high amount of protein the Chicken of the Woods has (21g of protein in 2 cups), it could easily be used as a substitute for meat in any meal you prepare with a meaty texture.  Matter of fact, it is a whole meal all by itself with all the carbohydrates and protein you need.

Chicken of the Woods is one of those mushrooms that you don’t want to eat raw. It has been show to cause gastric distress with some people when eaten raw. Therefor it is recommended to have Chicken of the Woods cooked first.

First and foremost you will need to clean the Chicken of the Woods. Only after this step you can proceed to any of the below Chicken of the Woods recipes…

How To Clean the Chicken of the Woods

Like with cleaning any mushroom if you choose to get it wet you do not want it to stay wet for a long period of time because it will absorb the water and get mushy.

To clean the Chicken of the Woods:

1. Cut away any tough a bug eaten pieces.
2. Brush the surface of the chicken mushroom with a gentle but semi firm brush. Try to remove any dirt (save the tough pieces for soups).
3. You can then give it a quick rinse and rub down to remove any extra dirt on it. But be sure to dry it immediately with a paper towel.

Now let’s take a look at the best way how to cook chicken of the woods mushroom the healthy way and make it taste delicious…

How to Cook Chicken of the Woods Mushroom the Healthy Way

When you harvest the Chicken of the Woods mushroom it is best to harvest it when it is still young, soft and moist.  This is when it will taste the best.

If you happen to find an older mushroom than you may find that as you get closer to the center it gets harder and the outside remains tender.  It is best to only saute the outer tender pieces and use the harder pieces in soups or teas.

Recipes for Chicken of the Woods

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1)  Sauteed Chicken of the Woods

While my personal favorite is the simple slice and saute technique for chicken of the woods.  This Chicken of the Woods recipe is the most common for almost any type of mushroom that you will cook.

Recipe:

1. Throw some olive oil in a pan over medium heat.
2. Add a dash of soy sauce.
3. Flip them often for 10 to 15 minutes until a little browned.

The best Chicken of the Woods recipe has a little oil that is has unsaturated fat making it a healthy dish and nice way to prepare your Chicken of the Woods mushrooms and make it taste yummy!

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2) Deep Fried Chicken of the Woods

There is also another way of frying Chicken of the Woods just like you would fry chicken…

You could do the following:

1. Cut a couple half inch fillets of the mushroom (about the size of a chicken breast).
2. Trim off the tough parts then wash and dry it.
3. Put a couple raw eggs into a bowl.
4. Put some whole wheat flour mixed with some Natures Seasoning (Cayenne pepper is optional if you want a little kick).
5. Dip the fillet in the egg and then in the flour mix.
6. Heat a frying pan with 1/4 cup of olive oil.
7. Drop your fillets in the oil and keep turning until golden brown.

Now this recipe is has a little more oil then the first making it a little less healthy.  However, the amazing taste is a great trade off!

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3) Chicken of the Woods Soup

This option will end up being the most healthy because it doesn’t require any oil and it will taste amazing.

Recipe:

1. Place 6 chicken drumsticks in a big pot of water  (this will add a delicious and healthy taste to the soup naturally).
2. Smash up 4 garlic cloves and add to the water.
3. Now you will add 1/2 a tablespoon of ginger powder.
4. Boil the chick soup mixture for 30 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked.
5. Put 1 cup of cilantro
6. Add 2 cups of cabbage that is chopped.
7. Put a cup of fresh celery leaf.
8. Cut up your Chicken of the Woods mushroom into half inch shanks and place a few handfuls into the soup.
9. Boil for an additional 10 to 15 minutes.

The cool thing about eating your Chicken of the Woods in a soup is that it is like doing a hot water extraction.  This is good because most of the health benefits need to be extracted from the cell wall of the mushroom which you are doing when you boil it.

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Chicken of the Woods is just one of the many wild edibles that we can consider a delicacy alongside Shiitake, Oyster, and some white wine.

Now let’s talk about how to store Chicken of the Woods mushroom in case you harvest more than you can eat…

How To Store Chicken of the Woods Mushroom

If you are lucky enough to find yourself some wild Chicken of the Woods mushroom then you will probably end up with a lot more then you can it in a week.

Therefore you will need to understand how to store it correctly so you can enjoy it later and still have it taste just as fresh as when you first harvested it.

The good news is we have written an article on the top 3 ways to store Chicken of the Woods so you can enjoy eating is for up to 12 months here:

The cool thing about this mushroom is it is really easy to store and keep fresh!

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Conclusion

Chicken of the Woods mushroom is a choice edible mushroom that is ‘jam packed’ with a whopping 21 grams of protein in a 2 cup serving size.  It is available to harvest the last 6 months of the year and it tastes just like chicken.

Now you know how to make this mushroom taste amazing while also cooking Chicken of the Woods in a healthy way.  You will find that this mushroom is so large that you could literally only eat chicken of the woods and that will be the entire meal.

Be sure to check out our other articles on the ‘little known’ nutrition and health benefits that this mushroom has.  Also, if you plan to harvest it then check out our article on how to properly identify it from it’s poisonous look alike.

Thanks for reading and if you have any other ideas on how to cook the choice edible mushroom, please let us know in the comments below!

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