What happens if you eat Chicken of the Woods raw

Chicken-of-the-Woods Mushrooms are more of an edible fungus than a mushroom. They have no stems or caps. They grow all over the world on tree stumps, particularly those of hardwood trees such as ash, elm, eucalyptus, and hickory trees.

Table of Contents Show

Storage Hints
Language Notes
Other names
Can you eat chicken in the woods Raw?
Can you get sick from eating chicken of the woods?
How do you know when chicken of the woods is cooked?
Can you eat chicken of the woods?

In size, they can from 2 to 10 inches wide (5 to 25 cm), and can weigh up to 50 pounds (23 kg.) They die back in winter, but will grow back year after year in the same spot. They usually grow in clusters, taking about 6 to 12 months to form. They have pores instead of gills to produce their spores in.

They grow in two colours, yellow and salmon. The yellow-coloured ones are more fleshy and the salmon-coloured ones are flatter. As they age, both colours will turn whitish (don’t eat older ones: see Nutrition below.)

When collecting them, mushroom hunters cut off and gather only the outer 1 inch (2.5cm) edge, which being the youngest part will be the best tasting, because the closer you get to the tree the woodier the taste gets. Younger parts are also a bit less likely to cause reactions amongst people.

Chicken-of-the-Woods Mushrooms feel a bit like suede in your hand before cooking. They have a very bland taste, and don’t taste anything like chicken, of course. The best that can be said about them in terms of flavour is that they absorb other flavours in a dish.

They must be cooked thoroughly and never eaten raw. In fact, they should be boiled before further cooking, such as frying. Never use old ones or old parts of one.

Nutrition

About half the people who try Chicken-of-the-Woods Mushrooms end up being sensitive to them. Some reactions are as mild as lips swelling and light-headedness; many reactions are more pronounced, such as severe nausea and being quite sick. Older parts of the fungus tend to have a greater likelihood of causing reactions. Those growing on conifers, eucalyptus or hemlock, shouldn’t be eaten, as the chances of poisoning increase further.

Storage Hints

Freeze, don’t dry: becomes very woody when dried.

Language Notes

When cooked, their texture is somewhat like cooked chicken, and thus their name.

Other names

AKA: Sulphur Mushroom, Sulphur Shelf

Scientific Name: Laetiporus sulphureus, Polyporus sulphureus

This page first published: Jun 27, 2004 · Updated: Jun 3, 2018.

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Tagged With: Wild Mushrooms

This report on mycological poultry was written by Elan Margulies, a formerly mycophagophobic student in PLPA 319.

Entering the Mushrooms class I was a mycophagophobe; I was someone who was afraid to eat mushrooms, especially ones that I had collected. Any wild mushroom was too dangerous for me. It was not until I discovered Laetiporus sulphureus— Chicken of the Woods, that I felt comfortable enough to identify a fungus and then eat it. David Arora remarks in Mushrooms Demystified that this is one of the “foolproof four” — an unmistakable mushroom.

This large, brightly colored fungus is often found in clusters but is occasionally solitary. You may discover this mushroom during the summer and fall but rarely in winter or spring. The top surface of Chicken of the Woods is bright orange which can be either more reddish or yellowish than you see here. It tends to lighten in color near the edges. This mushroom has no gills, instead its bright yellow undersurface is covered with tiny pores. The young Chicken of the Woods is “succulent” and has a mild flavor. Older specimens tend to change color as they develop, as well as become brittle. The young mushrooms have bright yellows and oranges; in age they dull to yellow and then pure white.

A good tree can yield up to 50 pounds, but be wary of older fungi as they toughen and develop a sour flavor! If you have found a specimen worthy of collection, you can harvest the mushrooms and return the next year for another crop. Or cut just the outer edge (about 5 cm of the fungus) and return later in the season for a second helping. Be wary of Chickens growing on conifers (in the Northeast) as they are a different species and can cause poisoning. Chicken of the Woods can make a fine chicken substitute as long as you make sure to fully cook the mushroom.

Chicken of the Woods grows in trees that are either living or decaying. These mushrooms cause a reddish brown heart-rot of wood. If the mushrooms are seen fruiting, you can be sure that the fungus has already attacked the tree. They can destabilize a tree by hollowing out its center–this can be problematic for forest owners. Historically, this fungus was known to damage the wooden ships of the British Naval Fleet.

Editor’s Aside: Recent mycological detective work has revealed differences in what was once considered to be just one species–there are in fact a handful of distinct species of Laetiporus in North America.2 Tom Volk briefly reviewed them back in 2001, but be aware that many field guides haven’t caught up yet with this improved taxonomy. In our area (northeastern North America), Laetiporus huroniensis is morphologically almost identical to Laetiporus sulphureus — the two can best be distinguished by where they grow and what they grow on. The conifer-loving Laetiporus huroniensis of the Great Lakes seems to cause poisoning more often than true L. sulphureus, and may also sometimes interbreed with the latter, making it even more difficult to distinguish one species from another. In western north America, true Laetiporus sulphureus does not occur, but at least two lookalikes do: Laetiporus gilbertsonii (on eucalyptus, and more frequently implicated in poisonings) and Laetiporus conifericola (on conifers). If you are unlucky, or sensitive to whatever unidentified toxin is in these, you may experience vomiting, chills, and perhaps mild hallucinations–I haven’t heard of any deaths. Yet there are many (probably over 90% of you) who eat these species with impunity, so it’s hard to know what to advise, except caution.

Based on the texture, taste and distinctiveness, this easily identifiable group of species can be a good starting place for those who fear the wild mushroom, as I used to do. For those who have found a Chicken of the Woods and would like cook with it, here is a delicious recipe for a Polypore Omelet care of Wild Mushroom Cookery.6

POLYPORE OMELET6
3 Tablespoons butter
1 cup diced Chicken of the Woods
1/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack or cream cheese
2 or 3 shallots, diced
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
5 or 6 eggs
1/2 cup cream or half and half
Salt and pepper

Melt the butter in a heavy frying pan over low heat.
Beat the eggs and cream, add salt and pepper to taste; pour into the pan.
As the eggs start to cook, sprinkle the Chicken of the Woods, cheese, shallots and parsley over the top.
Cook for 1 to 2 minutes more until the egg mixture sets.
Fold the omelet over and remove from the heat; cover and let sit for 1 minute.

Arora, D. (1986) Mushrooms Demystified: A Comprehensive Guide to the Fleshy Fungi, Ten Speed Press, Berkeley.
Burdsall, H. H. J., and M. T. Banik. (2001). The genus Laetiporus in North America. Harvard Papers in Botany 6:43-55.
Kuo, M. (2005, March). Laetiporus sulphureus: The chicken of the woods. Retrieved from MushroomExpert.Com.
Phillips, R. (2006) Laetiporus sulphureus. Retrieved from the rogersmushrooms.com.
Volk, T.J. (2001) Laetiporus cincinnatus, the white-pored chicken of the woods.
Wells, M., M. Rogers, R. Piekenbrook & D. Piekenbrook (1987). Wild Mushroom Cookery. Portland, OR: The Oregon Mycological Society.

Photo by Jeanine Moy.

Can you eat chicken in the woods Raw?

Important Notes. Never eat Chicken of the Woods raw. Like all wild mushrooms, always cook it well before consuming. Chicken of the Woods can make some people sick.

Can you get sick from eating chicken of the woods?

How do you know when chicken of the woods is cooked?

Thoroughly cooked chicken of the woods should have a golden brown appearance much like a well-cooked chicken breast, and it should have a tender texture.