Fried chicken of the woods is one of the most popular ways of enjoying this wild mushroom. It has the crunch and texture of fried chicken with a hint of lemon.

🍽 Jump to the recipe ↓

Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus suplhureus)

I found this chicken of the woods from a car! My mom and I were driving back to the summer house and I spotted an orange blob on a tree, so we stopped to check it out and it indeed was a COTW! It was the perfect time to pick it too, all spongy and soft. 

Make sure your chicken of the woods is young and the flesh is thick, soft and watery. As it matures, the mushroom becomes tougher and eventually chalky and crumbly, and not edible. This mushroom, like the majority of mushrooms, has to be cooked properly, as ingesting it raw produces gastrointestinal upset. This is why I first parboil the mushroom before frying. However, some people are sensitive to this mushroom even when properly cooked. Many guides recommend avoiding alcohol around the time of eating this mushroom. 

To learn more about this mushroom and how to identify it, see the Laetiporus sulphureus mushroom profile. 

Fried Chicken of the Woods

Fried chicken of the woods is one of the most popular ways of enjoying this wild mushroom. It has the crunch and texture of fried chicken with a hint of lemon.

In the Czech Republic, we would fry the mushrooms in the oil by themselves, but since I am always trying to improve upon the traditional recipes or make them healthier, I borrowed a tip from Forager Chef Alan Bergo who adds a few springs of thyme and a garlic clove to the pan while making his Fried Chicken of the Woods.

Disclaimer

Please be extremely careful cooking and eating foraged mushrooms. Never eat a mushroom that you are not 100% sure of its ID. The best way to learn how to identify and forage for edible mushrooms in your area is to join a local mushroom club or go with a trusted mushroom identifier or a mycologist. Then, even if you are 100% sure of its ID and know it's an edible mushroom, always try small quantities of a new mushroom first before eating a large batch to make sure it sits with you well. 

• Prep Time: 25 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes

Equipment

• Boiling pot
• Heavy sauté of frying pan, like cast iron
• 3 medium-sized bowls

Ingredients

After cleaning, tear your chicken up into medium-sized pieces. 

• 1 lb / 400 g of young chicken of the woods
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup all purpose flour for breading
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups corn or panko breadcrumbs 
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 cup canola oil for frying
• A few sprigs of fresh thyme, optional
• Small clove of garlic, crushed optional

Preparation

I breaded my mushrooms in flour-egg-crumb, but you can also do flour-egg-flour for a lighter crust. In that case, season the mushroom with paprika directly.

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
   
   
2. Meanwhile, separate your chicken of the woods into medium-sized pieces. Make sure you trim off the tough parts, usually where the stem starts to attach to the tree. The outer edges of the mushroom are always the most tender. Wash the mushrooms well.
   
   
3. When the water is boiling, add the mushrooms to the pot and boil for 5 minutes. Strain and dry well.
   
   
4. Put 1 cup of flour into a bowl. Whisk 3 eggs in another bowl and season with a pinch of salt. Put 2 cups of breadcrumbs into another bowl and season with 1 tsp paprika.
   
   
5. Toss the mushrooms first in flour, shaking off any excess. Then, using a fork, dip them in the egg mixture, letting excess egg drip off. Then put them in breadcrumbs, patting them onto the mushroom to make them adhere to the mushroom. 

   
   
6. Heat a pan with 1/2 cup of canola oil. When the oil is hot, add your breaded mushrooms, the crushed clove of garlic, and the thyme.

   
   
7. Cook the mushrooms until they are golden brown on each side, about 4-5 minutes, adding extra oil if the pan gets dry. Place them on a plate with paper towels and pat away excess oil. Sprinkle with a little salt to finish and serve immediately.


Let me know what you think in the comments! I'd love to hear from you. Head to my Instagram account @fungiwoman for daily posts about my mushroom adventures. Also, check out my shop for some mushroom-inspired products and sign up for the newsletter to get updates. 

Shop

Grab some mushy merch!