07/03/2019
My experience with Chicken of the Woods Mushroom. (be warned this is pretty long)
I found my first Chicken of the Woods mushroom 7 years ago. My relationship with her is still very young but I have made observations throughout our friendship that I feel inspired to share. She has given many of us so much joy, excitement, and nourishment over the years. I hope this post helps increase the respect and appreciation that so many of us feel towards this amazing mushroom!
This is not a “how to” article, this is more of a “how I do” type of writing. I will give recommendations for when and how to harvest or purchase Chicken, as well as how to best handle and prepare it. See the picture captions for additional info. Harvesting low quality mushrooms is bad for the reputation of the mushroom and possibly the health of the people eating them. Mushrooms that are past their edible prime stage are best off to remain in the forest to create new colonies.
Chicken of the Woods is an incredibly variable mushroom in many ways. Here in Western North Carolina the season begins around April or May and continues as late as November. Some hosts do fruit around the same time every year, while others can take at least 5 years off before fruiting again! Occasionally a host will flush twice in the same season. This is rare and usually one of the flushes is much smaller. Chickens emerge from their host and usually grow though their prime edible stages in under a week!
Mature red oak forests are the most common place to find abundant amounts of Chicken. I have also found them on black locust, white oak, eastern hemlock, and black cherry. I have been told that locust, cherry, and hemlock are recommended not to harvest from due to potential toxins being absorbed by the mushroom from the tree. However, I have eaten chicken growing from each of these trees with no ill effects whatsoever.
Their rapid growth rate and variable fruiting pattern make it very difficult to catch Chicken in its prime edible stage. Young Chicks cannot normally be picked without damaging them. Gently touching the soft yellow tips should leave a fingerprint if the mushroom is still in its prime edible stage. I always use a knife to harvest. If they are easily hand picked then they are probably best to leave behind for reproduction or possibly used for flour.
Before harvesting, examine closely for signs of mold or bug damage. Cut a fan at the base and look closely for signs of insect inhabitants. Continue to slice off pieces until you see little or no damage. Sometimes in it’s prime edible stage it can be already inundated with larvae which can consume the soft young mushroom in a day, even after it’s picked and in your fridge! I don’t mind eating mushrooms with small amounts of larvae. The problem with them is they continue to eat and grow after harvest, which greatly reduces the shelf life of the mushroom.
After harvesting look at the cut mark on the mushroom. It should be very moist, even dripping and have no bug holes if it’s a prime specimen. The cut mark on the tree should be dripping chicken juice! Gently place the fragile mushrooms in a basket with enough room to keep them from touching each other.
As chickens age only the tender edges are suitable for most cooking applications. If you’re not up to the task of processing the tougher inner parts then only harvest the tender edges and leave the rest in the forest to release spores. The tougher inner parts can be simmered long and slow then ground to use as a meat substitute in things like tacos and Bolognese sauce. Or they can be boiled, dried, and ground into flour to used to replace 1/2 the wheat flour in recipes to make creations like Chicken of the Waffles! Reserve the liquid from either method for mushroom stock.
Young Chickens do not store well fresh. It is best to cook them within 24-48 hours after harvesting or purchasing them. They will stay fresh in the fridge after cooking much longer than if stored raw. The best method for storing fresh young chicken that I have found is to place it in a box with a damp towel over it into the fridge. Too much moisture will cause the mushrooms to get soft, slimy, and start growing things on them. Not enough moisture and the mushroom will get dry, tough, and loose its flavor. Even with proper temperature and moisture levels it is hard to store fresh chicken for more than a few days without it degrading in quality. Chicken does not rehydrate well. Dehydration is not a good preservation method for this mushroom. The best method I have found for long term storage is cooking and then freezing them. If you enjoy eating more mature Chicken, they can be frozen without cooking, although in my option they are best used to make flour or stock.
Young tender Chicken (2-4 days old) can be cooked in anyway that you would cook boneless skinless chicken (animal) breast. It can also be used to make good mushroom jerky but it is inferior to other type of mushrooms for this purpose due to a somewhat dry/chalky texture.
Slightly more mature specimens (4-5 days old) are still very good but are best in saucier applications like bbq, dumplings, pasta, etc. Older drier chickens (6-10 days old) can still be good in soups, stews, stock, and sauces, as well as made into flour.
It is important to note that a few people have negative reactions to eating Chicken of the Woods mushroom. This may be partially caused by eating mushrooms from potentially toxic host trees or from eating over mature mushrooms due to high chitin content. Almost all mushrooms contain chitin, the same substance that makes up the shells of insects and crustaceans. The chitin in mushrooms is only digestible after cooking. It seems that mature Chicken has a very high chitin content due to the fact that it’s bleached white chitin skeleton can sometime remain visible for over a year! Learning to recognize Chicken skeletons is very helpful in locating areas abundant with this mushroom. But, if WNC weather can’t degrade it in 4 seasons, imagine how your belly feels trying to digest it! It’s best to only eat a small amount of fresh young mushrooms the first few times you try them. Some people do claim to be actually allergic to chicken mushrooms and have reactions ranging from mild upset stomachs to intense vomiting and diarrhea.
It’s always respectful to leave a portion of the mushroom behind to reproduce. With chicken I feel like 10% is usually enough to leave, because unless the mushroom is in very accessible area it is incredibly challenging to catch a Chicken in its prime stage two years in a row. My rule has been that if I am lucky enough for this to happen then I leave it the third time it fruits, allowing the mushroom to fully reproduce.
People often ask me if I feel like I’m taking too much from the forest. The same intuition that helps me be respectful of my human friends also helps me be respectful of my fungal ones. I don’t exploit my friends regardless of their genetic makeup.
If you made it this far into the post you must love chicken as much as I do! Please share your experiences with me in the comments!
