One of the most tried and true chicken of the woods recipes is a simple cream sauce with lemon. If you haven't tried it yet, you're missing out.
In the world of wild mushrooms, chicken of the woods / sulphur shelf mushrooms are pretty special-as long as they've been harvested when young and tender. Mixing them into a simple pasta with lemon cream is one of my favorite things to do with them, and an annual tradition for a couple serious mushroom hunter friends of mine.
I’ve cut large, young chickens off a tree and had them gush orange juice down my arms as I cut--not the average experience of harvesting a mushroom. The juice the give off smells mushroomy, but it has another note to it too, a sort of strong citrus scent that I’ve described as orange or citrus peel before. That aroma isn't just a weird anomaly though, young mushrooms will keep the high citrus notes and a sort of "twang", along with the mushroom flavor.
From there, it's only a hop, skip, and a jump to pairing them with some citrus. A method where mushrooms are finished with a dash of lemon juice like in classic French champignons Bordelaise is good, but even better is a recipe where the mushroom flavor's transferred to another medium to mix with the juice. Enter cream.
A know a couple old, bold mushroom hunters who swear by chicken of the woods with lemon cream sauce (see Michael Kuo's 100 edible mushrooms) and, yes, it is really, really good. But, most importantly, it just wouldn't be the same if you made it with a similar mushroom like hen of the woods or Ischnoderma resinosum.
A lot of times mushrooms are interchangeable in recipes, but for this, chicken of the woods shines front and center. Try it the next time you have a nice haul of young ones.
Variations
This is a super simple wild mushroom recipe you can adapt to what you have on hand. If you don't feel like making gnocchi from scratch, it's fine to use your favorite pasta. Fettucine, penne, and angel hair would all work just fine. Changing things up and using the same ingredients/flavors in risotto would also be good.
Gnocchi with Chicken of the Woods Mushrooms and Lemon Cream
Equipment
- Potato ricer, gnocchi board
Ingredients
- 1 lb gnocchi cooked (see note)
- Kosher salt to taste
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 6 oz fresh tender chicken of the woods mushrooms, sliced into ¼ inch pieces
- A few scrapes fresh lemon zest
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Fresh lemon juice to taste, about 2 teaspoons
- Fresh grated parmesan to taste
- 2 tablespoons sliced wild garlic shallots, green garlic, or garlic scapes
- Chive flowers to garnish (optional)
- Wood sorrel leaves to garnish (optional)
- ¼ cup dry white wine
Instructions
- Sweat the chicken of the woods in half the butter, then add the wild garlic or other allium and cook for about 30 seconds, just until they turn bright green.
- Add the wine and cook for a minute, then add the cream and gnocchi, bring to a simmer, and cook until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Meanwhile, season the sauce to taste with salt, pepper, and lemon zest.
- Finally, finish the sauce with the lemon juice to taste, and swirl in the butter.
- Finally a small amount of parmesan off the heat, tossing to mix, then divide between preheated serving bowls, garnishing with the chive flowers and sorrel, if using.
Notes
Par-cooking gnocchi is my preferred way of making them, just cook in rapidly boiling water, drain and toss with a bit of oil up to an hour or two before serving.
Erica Coda
This dish is amazing! I watched you make it in one of your Wild Harvest videos and knew the next time I got my hands on chicken of the woods I had to try it. I made ricotta gnocchi because that’s how my family always makes them. I’ll be making this again. Thank you!
Harry Wininger
I just wanted to thank you for this recipe. As luck has it I've come across a good amount of Laetiporous Cincinatus this summer and my parents are sitting on a mess of homemade gnocchi. I had them over for dinner on their 58th wedding anniversary and this dish turned out spectacular. I knew the simplicity of the recipe would be a classic example where less is more and that certainly is the case. Great recipe!!!
Cheers!
Harry