Welcome to the summary page for FabulousFusionFood's Wild Food guide to Chicken of the Woods along with all the Chicken of the Woods containing recipes presented on this site, with 4 recipes in total.

This is a continuation of an entire series of pages that will, I hope, allow my visitors to better navigate this site. As well as displaying recipes by name, country and region of origin I am now planning a whole series of pages where recipes can be located by meal type and main ingredient. This page gives a listing of all the Cornish recipes added to this site.

These recipes, all contain Chicken of the Woods as a major wild food ingredient.

Chicken of the Woods, Laetiporus sulphureus (also known as the Sulphur Polypore, Sulphur Shelf, Chicken Mushroom, Chicken Fungus) is a very distinctive species of polyporaceous basidomycete bracket fungus (filamentous fungi composed of hyphae that reproduce sexually) and is a member of the Polyporaceae family of the Polyporales order that have white spore prints. It is a fairly common species that is typically parasitic on oak trees, but also grows on yew, cherry wood, sweet chestnut, eucalypts and willow (some related species grow on conifers). Typically it fruits initially in April and is most common in June, but there is also a second fruiting period in September and October. Indeed, the only months were it is unlikely that you will find examples of this species somewhere is January and February. This is medium-sized fungus (it can grow between 5 and 20cm in diameter) that typically grows gregariously in 'shelves' of tightly-packed brackets. The fungus is composed of overlapping, fused, clusters of lobed, fan-shaped, brackets that are initially soft and succulent and with in-curved folded margins and a bright orange suede-like top margin that tends to be slightly convex. As the fungus ages the colour becomes more sulphurous an then pale yellow until it finally dries a chalky white. The pores are tiny and oblong starting yellow and turning white with age. Young pores exude yellow droplets when fresh. The tubes only occupy the lower 5mm of the fruiting body. When the flesh is cut it is thick, pale yellow and soft (but still firm) when young. The smell is pleasantly mushroomy and the taste is pleasant (sometimes described as chickeny) though some specimens can be a little sour due to the absorption of tannins from the host tree.

The firm flesh and pleasant flavour makes this an excellent eating fungus. Indeed, it is especially suited to stews and goulashes as it keeps firm even after prolonged cooking. Unusually for a fungus the chicken of the woods can even be frozen for long periods and remains firm. Most North American books describe this as an excellent eating species. However, I should sound a note of caution here. A minority of people are allergic to this fungus and it can cause symptoms ranging from the mild — swollen lips and tingling tongue — to the more severe — nausea, vomiting, dizziness and disorientation. This is due to allergens that some are susceptible to but can also be due to fungus absorbing poisons from the tree on which it grows. As a result it should not be consumed if growing on elm, cedar or eucalypts. Indeed, books now recommend that only young, fresh, bracts are eaten and, as with any new fungus or mushroom species only eat small quantities the first time, in case you are susceptible. However, if you are careful and you know that you are not susceptible then the flavour can be very pleasant, somewhat reminiscent of chicken and this fungus can be substituted for chicken in vegetarian recipes. Unlike other bracket fungi, chicken of the woods can be eaten when young.

Young specimens are edible if a large clear watery liquid comes out of it. The mushroom should not be eaten raw. Deer like to eat the mushroom. The flavour is similar to crab or lobster.

Compared with species such as Agaricus bisporus (button mushroom) and oyster mushroom, commercial cultivation of Laetiporus is limited. However it can be cultivated; the most dependable and rapid production of this mushroom is cultivation of it indoors. The mushroom does not require the heat and water that gilled mushrooms do. The mushroom is sensitive to carbon dioxide levels and light conditions.



The colour, shape and location of this species means that the chicken of the woods is not similar to any other fungus and cannot readily be confused with anything else. The fungus is also notable in that it is perennial and often grows in the same situation for many years at a time.

For other edible mushrooms, see the guide to edible mushrooms

References:

[1]. David Evans Notes from field observations, tastings and cookery experiments.
[2]. Huxley, A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992
[3]. Tanaka, T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World.
[4]. Lim T.K. Edible Medicinal And Non-Medicinal Plants, Vols 1–8.
[5]. Thomas, G. S. Perennial Garden Plants
[6]. Milner, E. Trees of Britain and Ireland
[7]. Rose, F. & O'Reilly, C. The Wild Flower Key (Revised Edition) – How to identify wild plants, trees and shrubs in Britain and Ireland
[8]. Streeter, D. & Garrard, I. The Wild Flowers of the British Isles
[9]. Clapham, A.R.; Tutin, T.G. & Moore, D.M. Flora of the British Isles
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[11]. Jordan, P. & Wheeler, S. The Complete Book of Mushrooms: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Edible Mushrooms
[12]. Bunker, F.; Brodie, J.A.; Maggs, C.A. & Bunker, A. Seaweeds of Britain and Ireland.
[13]. Facciola, S. Cornucopia — A Source Book of Edible Plants