Finding this beautiful mushroom feels like winning a prize. When you find one, there’s usually enough for several meals.

While it does have a similar texture to chicken, it has quite a mild flavour, so it works well in strong flavoured dishes.

You can use a chicken recipe and substitute the chicken in the recipe directly. I have found it four times now – and made it into thai green chicken of the woods curry, chicken of the woods vindaloo, and my favourite, southern fried chicken of the woods.

The chicken of the woods mushroom has a distinctive colour and shape, and grows in layers on trees and logs. But as with all foraging, always make sure you are 100% certain that you know how to identify it before eating. This mushroom often grows on the poisonous yew tree, so also make sure you clean the mushroom thoroughly before eating it.

Check out my guide on mushroom foraging for more tips.