Crispy fried chicken of the woods mushroom, combined in a fresh salad with lettuce, tomatoes, eggs, corn, and cucumber. Light, quick, completely gluten-free, and probably the freshest way we’ve eaten this mushroom yet. A nice little addition to our chicken of the woods recipes.
This isn’t chicken salad; it’s fried chicken of the woods
Our chicken of the woods is an incredible mushroom. I never go looking for it; it always finds me on the same old pear tree, just switching sides and spots each year. It’s like it enjoys getting photographed for another chicken of the woods recipe, and yes, I do thank her every year!
This wild mushroom grows fast. Today there’s nothing, and tomorrow there’s a bright orange abundance you can’t miss. Miss a single day, though, and it becomes really sturdy, and the stem is nearly impossible to cut off the tree.
And it shows up in absurd amounts every year. You’ll never eat this mushroom in one day. To keep it for the winter, I usually make a delicious Balkan-style sweet chicken of the woods preserves with cinnamon and cloves that last a whole year, a pot of chicken of the woods soup, and sometimes I tuck it into a crispy chicken of the woods phyllo pie.
The older I get, the fatter I get, so sometimes that healthy inner calling wakes up (oh, those rare moments) and makes me avoid things like fried parasol mushroom rolls and breaded saffron milk caps. So this chicken of the woods only gets a light coating of buckwheat flour and garlic powder (no breadcrumbs used). Fried in olive oil.
I combined it into a homemade salad with what we had: lamb’s lettuce, tomato, corn, eggs, and cucumber. And a simple dressing of olive oil, garlic, and balsamic vinegar.
There’s really no rule here. Use what’s growing at the moment or what’s in your fridge. All you need is a slice of good bread on the side, and you’ve got yourself a beautiful, quick wild mushroom dinner.
The ingredients
CHICKEN OF THE WOODS MUSHROOM – Pick these as young as possible, while the edges are still rounded and soft. Move fast and take the whole cluster when you find it; leave even a little behind for a day, and it turns woody.
BUCKWHEAT FLOUR – Optional, technically. Use whatever flour you have in your pantry; all-purpose flour is completely fine here. But if gluten-free is the goal, buckwheat, polenta, or coarsely ground rice flour all pull their weight nicely.
LETTUCE – Same deal. Use what you’ve got. Foraged wild greens that are safe raw are a natural match for mushrooms.
EGGS – Three or more, if possible opt for eggs from chickens that actually run around (yes, the yolks are better).
TOMATO – Brings the color, and it happens to ripen at the same time chicken of the woods shows up.
CUCUMBER – Optional. Young zucchini, cabbage, whatever’s crisp and idle in your fridge will happily step in.
CORN – About half a cup, cooked. Organic, of course, if possible.
GARLIC & GARLIC POWDER – Fresh garlic goes into the dressing, and garlic powder is mixed with the flour coating for a more garlicky twist. A spoonful of parmesan in the mix wouldn’t hurt either.
OLIVE OIL – Swap it for pumpkin seed oil, or whatever you’re currently obsessed with. Go wild. Feel free to experiment.
VINEGAR – Balsamic is my default. Apple cider vinegar works too, if you want something a little less sharp.
SALT & BLACK PEPPER – A pinch in the coating, and a pinch in the dressing.
How to make fried chicken of the woods salad
STEP 1: Clean and wash the mushrooms. First, cut away the tough part where the stem clings to the tree; that part’s staying behind. Slice the softer flesh into larger pieces.
STEP 2: Grab a pot big enough to fit all the mushroom slices, add a little salt, and bring it to a boil. Once it’s bubbling, drop the chicken of the woods in and let it cook for twenty full minutes. Yes, twenty. I know you’re tempted to cut it short. Don’t.
STEP 3: While that’s going, boil your eggs in a smaller pot for about 10 minutes and let them do their thing.
STEP 4: Meanwhile, mix up the coating in a small bowl: flour, 4 tsp garlic powder, two teaspoons of salt, a teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper. How much garlic powder is really a personality test. I went with 4 teaspoons, because apparently I never have enough garlic.
STEP 5: Once the mushrooms are cooked, strain them and drop them straight into the flour mixture while they’re still warm (not hot). Turn them with a fork and sprinkle coating onto every side, leaving no bald patches. This is what gives you that crunchy crust that makes chicken of the woods taste eerily, almost like fried chicken.
STEP 6: Heat up some extra oil (we used olive oil) in a large frying pan. Once it’s hot, fry the mushrooms for 4-5 minutes per side on low-medium heat.
STEP 7: You don’t need to hover over the timer; the mushrooms are already cooked. You’re just chasing a crispy, golden-brown crust on both sides. Once you’ve got it, pull them out and rest them on a paper towel to blot the excess oil.
STEP 8: Whip up the dressing: olive oil, balsamic vinegar, a pinch of salt, one crushed clove of garlic. Pour half of it over the bottom of your salad plate.
STEP 9: Next, add a layer of washed lamb’s lettuce on top of the dressing, thick enough to feel generous but flat enough to still leave room for everything else to land on top.
STEP 10: Now arrange the top. Add the fried chicken of the woods slices, egg halves or quarters, tomato, corn, cucumber, or whatever else you’ve got. Pour the remaining dressing over the vegetables, and that’s it; you’re basically done. Serve with a few slices of homemade bread. Doesn’t it look delicious?
Tips and serving ideas
Don’t skip the cooking. Chicken of the woods contains lectins, proteins that can upset your stomach when the mushroom’s eaten raw or undercooked. Boiling it for a full 20 minutes keeps you safely on the right side of things.
Use what you got. Pair the fried chicken of the woods with eggs and whatever salad you’re in the mood for. Pick what’s growing outside or still hanging on in the garden.
Store the mushroom in the fridge. This is a sturdy mushroom; it’ll keep well raw for up to a week, so the salad (or whatever chicken of the woods dishes you’re dreaming up) can wait until tomorrow. Then save the rest in a sweet chicken of the woods preserve.
Pair with buckwheat bread. If you’re chasing gluten-free heaven, this salad pairs perfectly with buckwheat bread, ready in 40 minutes. Gluten-free and super tasty, even better with kajmak.
Cornbread, please. This polenta bread comes together even quicker, with pieces of cheese and topped with sesame seeds.
A creamy dressing. Stir this same dressing into mayonnaise or yogurt, and you’ve got a lovely sauce for the fried mushrooms too.
Questions you might have
Dip the mushroom slices in flour first, then into a beaten egg, and finish with a coating of breadcrumbs. Fry in hot olive oil, then follow the same recipe steps from the pan onward. The texture comes out different, though, more like a classic breaded cutlet, less like the lighter crust in this recipe.
You can add a tsp paprika to the flour coating, and toss in a few sprigs of fresh thyme plus a sprig of fresh parsley for the dressing. The way to go here is: experiment, Johnny, experiment!
Still have chicken of the woods left?
Here are some chicken of the woods dishes you might like:
Recipe
Fried Chicken of The Woods Mushroom Salad
EQUIPMENT
- 2 pots
- 1 frying pan
INGREDIENTS
- 1.5 lbs chicken of the woods mushroom
- ½ cup buckwheat flour (or other)
- 3 eggs
- 2 tomatoes
- 1 cucumber
- ½ cup cooked corn
- 3.5 oz lamb's lettuce
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- 4 tsp garlic powder
- 1.5 tbsp vinegar
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp sea salt
INSTRUCTIONS
- Clean the mushrooms, trim off the tough base (with which they were attached to the tree), and slice the rest into larger pieces.
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add the mushroom slices, and cook for 20 minutes. Don't cut this short.
- In a separate pot, hard boil the eggs for about 10 minutes, then set aside to cool.
- Mix the flour (1/2 cup) with garlic powder (4 tsp), salt (2 tsp) and black pepper (1 tsp) in a shallow bowl.
- Drain the cooked mushrooms and, while still warm, toss them in the flour mixture. Press the coating onto every side so there are no bare spots.
- Heat olive oil in a frying pan over low-medium heat. Fry the coated mushroom slices for 4-5 minutes per side, until golden and crispy on both sides. Rest on a paper towel.
- Make the dressing by whisking together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, crushed garlic, and a pinch of salt. Pour half onto the base of your salad plate.
- Layer the washed lettuce over the dressing, then arrange the fried mushrooms, halved eggs, tomato slices, corn, and cucumber on top.
- Drizzle the remaining dressing over everything and serve with a few slices of good bread.
NOTES
NUTRITION
Want to feature this recipe? Leave us a note in the comments.