# Chicken of the woods find



## jschlenke

Out in Washtenaw county yesterday on a dead oak. Going to check the other local trees today!


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## Joshmack

Cool find...yummy


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## hemry1982

Nice find I'm still trying to find my first one I really want to try it


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## CWlake

The rain we had sat. should make a few shrooms pop. Need to get out and check this weekend.


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## Thirty pointer

I am just a novice but my Simon and Schusters guide book pictures this as (hen)-chicken of the woods














anyone know for sure whats the real deal .


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## ReallyBigFish

He found chicken of the woods, hen of the woods is different, what you found in the book


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## Fabner1

Glad I read this! I thought they were the same!

old


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## CWlake

besides the obvious color difference, the chicken is always growing right out of the wood where the hen usually appears to be growing from the ground. However it is most likely growing from buried roots.


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## Thirty pointer

Thanks guys now I can start looking for chickens .


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## jschlenke

All the above is true. In Michigan, the chickens (Laetiporus sp.) go from June through the early fall, generally are done by October. Hens (Grifola frondosa) start in September or very late August and go until the freeze. Look for chickens on pretty well decayed hard woods, those growing on pine are said to cause negative reactions in many folks. Hens are almost exclusively associated with oaks that are showing various stages of damage all the way to dead/ stumps.


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## sermak

Found a couple nice chickens in the NE part of the state yesterday while on a hike. Earliest I've ever found them.


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## jschlenke

Wow! Beautiful mushrooms


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## CWlake

very nice, them look to be young and fresh, the only way I'll eat them. Otherwise they taste like the bark of the tree. IMO


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## cedarlkDJ

jschlenke said:


> Wow! Beautiful mushrooms


And they taste like chicken too!
I tried some pheasant back this year. Same texture as chickens but, more woodsy flavor. Still good!


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## MrJosePetes

You guys are making me jealous! I'm actually staying in Washtenaw co this summer but would've never thought to look so early. We got rain yesterday, may gave to explore


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## CWlake

Plenty of places to explore in Washtenaw co. Give it a try, there should be some chanties up.


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## Mushroom Jack

I like them when they are a little immature yet, soft & juicy. Half of this one will be BBQ'd and the other half will be Orange Chicken.


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## crb

I Used to live in Ann Arbor
I now of a couple of good places 
Pm me if u want more info


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## Mushroom Jack

This is the Chicken Mushroom posted up above. I cooked them on the grill, and it was well worth the effort !! Orange Chicken tomorrow.


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## Petronius

Mushroom Jack said:


> I like them when they are a little immature yet, soft & juicy. Half of this one will be BBQ'd and the other half will be Orange Chicken.


That is a beautiful bouquet.


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## Mushroom Jack

petronius said:


> That is a beautiful bouquet.


I know.....first time it appeared in my back yard. Hope it shows again next year


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## Petronius

Mushroom Jack said:


> I know.....first time it appeared in my back yard. Hope it shows again next year.


I have never seen one that looks that nice.


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## Mushroom Jack

This is what it looked like when I noticed it, it had just started. Three days later I picked it. The old saying is, you snooze, ya loose. Ya got find them early.


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## Petronius

At which stage is best for picking, as it is in the first pic or the second?


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## Mushroom Jack

I like them like the second picture. It had almost tripled in size and is plump & juicy. Another day or two and it would have fanned out and became dry & chalky tasting. I like them like this.


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## Mushroom Jack

Orange Chicken of the Woods ! First I fried up the COTW that I ran water over in a colander, and then coated it with Drakes Krispy Fry Mix. Also seasoned it with Frankenmuth Chicken Seasoning Salt. Set it aside and made the Orange Sauce out of :
1 1/2 cups pure Orange Juice, 1/4 cup Rice Vinegar, 2 1/2 Tbls. Soy Sauce, 1 cup packed Brown Sugar, 1/2 tsp. Minced Ginger, 1/2 tsp. Minced Garlic, 2 Tbls. chopped Green Onion, 1/4 tsp Red Pepper flakes, bring mixture to a boil.... then mixed 3 Tbls. cornstarch in 1/4 cup water to thicken sauce. This is a must to try, and make sure the COTW id very young


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## CWlake

Amazing pictures Jack. I'll definitely have to bbq some of them. Thanks for the idea!


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## crb

Just found this one behind my house 
Going watch it for a couple of days


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## Mushroom Jack

Keep a close eye on it. I only let mine grow a couple of days . You want the pieces you cook to be thick & juicy.


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## crb

I will and fully agree with you
I have had some that were a little woody when I was trying them for the first time 
But now, with a little more experience under my belt, I have become more picky in what I harvest


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## Mushroom Jack

I rip mine up to sort of resemble Chicken Tenders. 



This is the same Mushroom I cooked up. Looks like I'm going to get another batch out of it. This is the first time I've seen them re-grow a new batch ......but I'll take it !


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## MrJosePetes

Mushroom Jack said:


> Orange Chicken of the Woods ! First I fried up the COTW that I ran water over in a colander, and then coated it with Drakes Krispy Fry Mix. Also seasoned it with Frankenmuth Chicken Seasoning Salt. Set it aside and made the Orange Sauce out of :
> 1 1/2 cups pure Orange Juice, 1/4 cup Rice Vinegar, 2 1/2 Tbls. Soy Sauce, 1 cup packed Brown Sugar, 1/2 tsp. Minced Ginger, 1/2 tsp. Minced Garlic, 2 Tbls. chopped Green Onion, 1/4 tsp Red Pepper flakes, bring mixture to a boil.... then mixed 3 Tbls. cornstarch in 1/4 cup water to thicken sauce. This is a must to try, and make sure the COTW id very young


That looks fantastic! I'm really envious of you guys who find good mushrooms in your yards. There's some woods across from my dads house I should really check out more


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## CWlake

That's really neat to see that chicken growing again Jack. Can you send another pick as it progresses?


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## Mushroom Jack

Yes, I'll post pictures as it progresses, except for the part I cut off the bottom for tonights dinner.


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## Mushroom Jack

Here's todays 6 / 30 / 2016


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## ajc1

Mushroom Jack said:


> Here's todays 6 / 30 / 2016 will that mushroom grow year after year in the same tree or they biannual. The only tree I found them are redwood in California.





Mushroom Jack said:


> Here's todays 6 / 30 / 2016


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## Mushroom Jack

Didn't grow much so I'll leave it for another day or two !!


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## crb

Going on day 4 was hoping the rain last night would make it pop but it's just starting to show a little 
Hopefully it will pop soon or I my have to give up due to bugs


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## Mushroom Jack

I knocked about 30 slugs off the tree that were headed for mine. I'll check it again tonight to make sure they didn't crawl back up.


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## Mushroom Jack

Here's todays picture 7 / 2 / 2016, I'm gonna let it go 1 more day.


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