Chicken of the Woods Recipes: 6 Pounds Became 20+ Dinners
Saturday was a kitchen day, and what a day it was.
I woke up Saturday with one thing on my mind: what on earth was I going to do with all this chicken of the woods? I spent a good while that morning thinking through marinades and chicken of the woods recipes. When you’ve been gifted a harvest like this, you want to do it justice. So I decided to go in three directions and see where they took me.
A note before we cook: Never eat a wild mushroom unless you are 100% certain of its identification. Confirm it with an experienced forager or a trusted regional guide, and when in doubt, leave it out. Chicken of the woods should always be cooked thoroughly, never eaten raw. Even correctly identified, it doesn’t agree with everyone, so try a small cooked portion the first time. It’s also best to avoid specimens growing on conifers or eucalyptus. Accuracy is an act of care.
Taco Marinade Spices to make the taco marinade
Chicken of the Woods Recipes: Round One, Chicken Taco
I wanted chicken tacos, so that’s where I started. I made my own taco seasoning from:
Lime pepper
Orange pepper
Onion powder
Lillie’s Hissy Fit
Garlic powder
Vegetable Better Than Bouillon
I cut up the first pound of chicken of the woods and stirred it into the marinade. It absorbed all of it right away. I left it on the counter while I worked on the rest.
Lemon Ginger Soy Marinade Lemon Ginger Soy Marinade Items
Round Two: Lemon Ginger Asian-Style
For the second batch I wanted something Asian-inspired, and then I remembered the Georgia Jams lemon ginger jam I had on hand from work. I stirred together about four heaping tablespoons of it with enough liquid aminos to fill a little 8 oz cup, and mixed it well. I poured it into a plastic bag, cut up another pound of mushroom, and tossed it all together.
Seaside Grown Smokin' Blue BBQ Sauce Seaside Grown Smokin' Blue BBQ Sauce Marinade
Round Three: Barbecue
The last pound was the easiest. I didn’t mix anything. I used Seaside Grown’s Smokin Blue barbecue sauce straight from the jar, tossed the cut-up mushroom in it, and let it sit while I got on with everything else.
The Rest: Mushrooms & Onions
With the remaining mushrooms, I cut them up and cooked them with onions in a little butter and oil. I seasoned them with salt, pepper, and everything bagel seasoning. This was the first batch I cooked, and while it fried, the other three stayed in their marinades. When it was done, I moved it to a bowl to cool and started on the next batch. I worked through them one at a time.
Packing the Freezer
Each cooked batch cooled on a tray first. Then I divided each one into bags. The taco, Asian, and barbecue each made 4 bags, and the mushroom and onion made 6. That’s 18 dinners from what I cooked. They all went into the freezer alongside the breaded, fried tenders Deb cooked up, which added another 4 to 6 dinners.
The Math
Six pounds of mushroom became more than 20 dinners.
What a perfect find.
Have you ever cooked chicken of the woods? I’d love to hear how you prepare it. Tell me in the comments or bring your ideas to the next Herb Walk.
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