Chicken of the Woods Fried “Chicken” Sandwiches

Last weekend I was back home in WI and had gone for a walk in the woods and stumbled upon these beautiful chicken of the woods mushrooms! They were bright orange on top and perfectly yellow underneath. There were barely any bugs on them and in perfect condition! I ended up getting about 5 lbs or so! If you’ve never had or heard of chicken of the woods before, they are a wild mushroom that any way cooked really taste, and have the texture, like chicken!

So I took them home and cleaned them up and tried to think about our favorite way we love chicken….Fried chicken! These worked perfect for that! With just a little coating of eggs and flour and lots of butter they really do taste just like chicken. Of course you can find these in co-ops or farmers markets but out in the woods is so much more fun!

If you do end up finding them in the woods, make sure to cut off the hard woody part that was connected to the tree. And really look for any tunneling or bugs that would have made their way in. Soak in a little bit of water and brush any bugs or dirt off. Once you get them all cleaned up they are amazing!! And worth the extra effort! It’s a great vegetarian option as well!

Ingredients

• 1 lb 4 (3 oz) pieces of chicken of the woods (small pieces can be coated and cooked for chicken nuggets too if you want)
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour for coating
• 2 tsp. paprika
• 1 pinch cayenne
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 2 eggs whisked
• 3-4 thyme sprigs
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 rosemary sprig
• 5 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• lemon wedge
• 3-4 brioche buns
• 3-4 Bibb lettuce leaves
• pickles
• mayo
• hot honey (2 tbsp honey, 1 tbsp butter, 2 tsp hot sauce, melted together)

Directions

Clean the mushrooms well and only use the tender parts of the mushroom, cut off any hard or woody edges.

Season the flour with paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

Whisk the eggs in a shallow bowl.

In batches, coat the mushrooms in the flour, shake off any excess then into the egg wash and then back into the flour. Place onto a baking pan until ready to fry.

Melt the butter and oil together in a skillet over medium heat. Toss in the thyme, garlic and rosemary. Working in batches cook the mushrooms about 4-5 on each side. Until crisp, keep spooning the butter over the mushrooms. Continue cooking until the mushrooms are crispy and golden on the outside and tender in the center. Once they are all cooked assemble the sandwiches, spread a little mayo on the bun, then layer on the lettuce and pickles and the fried chicken. Then enjoy!!