A simple chicken of the woods pasta recipe with lemon is a family favorite passed on to me that'll be a family favorite at your house too. It's easy, and arguably one of the best ways to serve these versatile mushrooms.

A bowl of chicken of the woods pasta with lemon cream sauce seen from above.

I got the recipe from my friend Peter, the president of the Minnesota Mycological society and a dear friend. Whenever we're out foraging for chicken of the woods, he usually says "Oh my wife makes this incredible pasta with them".

Ingredients for chicken of the woods pasta. — You'll need a little wine, some lemon, a shallot, and most importantly, young, tender mushrooms.

Why This Recipe Works

The secret is specific to the mushrooms. Laetiporus / sulphur shelf mushrooms have a subtle citrus note to them. They can also taste slightly tart with notes of citrus and orange. The citrus taste is especially noticeable if the mushrooms are very young and juicy.

Wild sulphur shelf or chicken of the woods mushrooms (Laetiporus sulphureus) growing on an oak log. — Nice young mushrooms are what you want. Besides the yellow variety you can also use white pored sulphur shelves.

What that means in the kitchen is that they have a natural affinity for lemon. Just a touch or juice and zest in a dish is one of my secrets to cooking them. Here's how to make it.

Step-By-Step Instructions

The pasta's easy to make and comes together quickly. The most important part is making sure to keep it juicy, make sure to add a splash of pasta water to adjust the consistency if you need. The images below describe the process.

Cooking chicken of the woods mushrooms in a pan. — First, saute the chicken mushrooms in oil.

Adding chopped shallots to a pan of orange mushrooms. — Add some chopped shallot and cook for a minute more.

Adding cream and lemon zest to a pan of cooked mushrooms. — Add a splash of wine, cook down, then add chicken stock, cook down again, and add cream and lemon zest.

Adding cooked pasta and butter to a pan of mushrooms and cream. — Add the cooked pasta and butter.

Adding parsley and lemon juice to a pan of mushroom pasta. — Add pecorino or parmesan cheese, parsley and a dash of lemon juice to taste.

Mixing pasta with a lemon mushroom sauce using tongs. — Mix the pasta and cook for a minute. Add pasta water to keep it juicy.

A bowl of mushroom pasta with lemon sauce garnished with wild sheep sorrel leaves. — Serve the pasta. I like to garnish it with wild sheep sorrel leaves which have a nice tart flavor.

More Ways to Use Chicken of the Woods Mushrooms

A bowl of chicken mushroom pasta with lemon cream sauce seen from above.

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5 from 6 votes

Chicken of the Woods Pasta with Lemon and Pecorino

A simple pasta made with wild chicken mushrooms that perfectly compliments their flavor. It's a twist on the classic Italian spaghetti al limone.

Prep Time5

Cook Time15

Total Time20

Course: Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Chicken of the woods pasta

Servings: People

Calories: 263kcal

Author: Alan Bergo

Cost: 5

Equipment

1 Pasta pot
1 large skillet

Ingredients

6 oz chicken of the woods fresh, young and tender
3 tablespoon Cooking olive oil or light olive oil
Kosher salt to taste
½ teaspoon Garlic or a few gratings from a clove
2 oz Shallot finely diced or minced
2 tablespoon Splash of dry white wine
¼ cup chicken stock
1 pinch chopped fresh thyme optional
2 tablespoon unsalted butter
½ cup heavy cream
Splash of pasta cooking water
Grated fresh lemon zest a few scrapes, to taste
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice to taste
6 oz dried spaghetti or other pasta, or 10 oz cooked pasta.
Grated parmesan to taste a tablespoon or two
Fresh leaves of sheep sorrel to garnish, optional
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley

Instructions

In a large skillet or saute pan, heat the oil until hot and shimmering. Add the mushrooms and cook for a couple minutes until lightly browned and bright orange,
Add the shallot and a pinch of salt, stir, and cook until the shallot is translucent. Add the garlic and stir.
Add a splash of wine to the pan and cook for a minute until the pan is nearly dry.
Add the chicken stock and reduce by half.
Add the cream and heat through. Add the lemon zest and thyme if using.
Add the pasta and heat through on low heat, stirring and mixing to coat it with the sauce. Turn the heat off.
Add the lemon juice, double check the seasoning for salt and adjust until it tastes good to you. Keep in mind you’re going to add some cheese, which will add salt.
Add a little parmesan, mix the noodles in the pan to incorporate the sauce, thinning with a splash of pasta water and heating for just a second if needed.
Toss in the parsley if using at the last minute.
Remove the pasta to a bowl using tongs, twirling it into a nest in the bowl. Spoon the sauce over the pasta, garnish with a small handful of sheep sorrel and a little extra parmesan and serve immediately.

Notes

I use spaghetti to show how simple this recipe can be, but any long noodle like fettucine, tagliatelle, pappardelle, or linguine will work too.

If you can find it, lemon thyme is perfect here. It's also fine to skip the thyme altogether.

Nutrition

Comments

Irene

August 30, 2024 at 6:42 pm

I made this recipe in my first foray into a new to me mushroom and boy am I glad I did!!! So delicious!!! Did not have a shallot, but used a small baby onion. So so good!!! Yum! Thank you!

- Alan Bergo
  
  August 31, 2024 at 1:56 pm
  
  Hey thanks Irene. Absolutely pick and choose whatever oniony thing you have. Recipes are just a guideline/template, well savory ones at least.
  
Apple

August 01, 2024 at 4:20 pm

Perfect combination of flavors! This was my first time harvesting and cooking with chicken of the woods. Thanks for the recipe and inspiration.

Andrea

July 10, 2024 at 11:48 am

I finally had the opportunity to make this last night and it was absolutely as delicious as promised. Added some purslane tips for some fresh crunch. Yum. Thank you!

- Katrina
  
  August 23, 2024 at 8:12 pm
  
  Very good, I used lemon thyme because I had it in the garden but skipped the parsley. A delicious combination of flavors that complimented but didn't overpower the mushrooms. But if we're being honest with ourselves, anything with shallots and heavy cream is gonna be good.
  
Rory Clarke

May 16, 2024 at 12:55 pm

Banging mate!! Loved this. Added a bit of cracked pepper and instead of parsley I used coriander

- Alan Bergo
  
  May 16, 2024 at 1:04 pm
  
  Hey thanks Rory. So simple but the lemon really makes it come alive.