Chicken of the Woods

Chicken of the Woods is a large, common, widespread, fleshy, bracket (shelf-like) fungus. It is one of the “Foolproof Four”, the four most easily identified mushrooms. It is usually saprobic, on decaying stumps and logs, but is sometimes parasitic, on the sides of injured trees. It enters the tree through a wound and infects the heartwood causing brown rot.

It is usually found well above the ground on living or dead, standing oaks, or on fallen oaks, sometimes on other hardwoods. It is usually found in overlapping clusters, sometimes singly, sometimes a rosette on the top side of a downed log. The thin, white mycelium can sometimes be seen in cracks of the wood.

The fruiting body is annual. There is no stem. When it first appears in late summer or fall it is knob-like, but it soon becomes shelf-like. It consists of an overlapping cluster or rosette of several to many brackets and can be up to 23½″ wide.

Each bracket is fan-shaped to semicircular in outline, more or less flat but lumpy and uneven on top, convex on the bottom, usually 2″ to 20″ wide, and up to 1½″ thick. Larger brackets can be up to 27½″ wide. The surface is smooth to suede-like and often finely wrinkled. On younger brackets the upper side is bright reddish-orange to bright orange, yellowish-orange, or salmon. As it ages it fades to yellowish or buff. Older brackets are whitish. The margin on younger brackets is thick, blunt, and usually yellow.

The flesh of young brackets is thick, soft, watery, white to pale yellow, sometimes tinged with salmon. As it ages the flesh becomes tough then crumbly.

The pore tubes on the underside of the bracket are yellow and up to 3 ⁄16″ deep. There are 2 to 4 pores per millimeter. The spores are yellow.

Young, fresh brackets grown on oak are edible when cooked. On older brackets, only the outer, still growing edge is edible.

White-Pored Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus cincinnatus) grows on the ground at or near the base of oak trees, not on stumps, logs, or the sides of living trees.

Hardwood forests on oak and other hardwoods

Late summer and fall

Sources

4, 7, 24, 26, 29 30, 77.

Common

Species
In 1998, a study (Banik, Mark T., Harold H. Burdsall, Jr. and Thomas J. Volk. 1998) showed Laetiporus sulphureus to be a species complex and split it into five species. The new Laetiporus sulphureus, the “true” Chicken of the Woods, is the species that has yellow pores; grows on the butt of a standing tree or on downed logs; is usually overlapping shelves but may be a rosette on the top side of a downed log; occurs east of the Great Plains; and is always on hardwoods, usually on oak.

Family
The genus Laetiporus was formerly placed in the family Polyporaceae. Several DNA studies of fungi in the order Polyporales since 2005 have resulted in the reordering of the families within the order. There is no current consensus. The genus Laetiporus is variously placed in the families Polyporaceae, Laetiporaceae, and Fomitopsidaceae. Most agree that it should be separated from the order Polyporaceae.

Looking up at this, I thought it was chicken of the woods, but it was bright yellow, not orange. Found on live oak tree.

My 11 year old son, Owen found this growing in our woods in Ham Lake!

found these in our backwoods. From what we collected it weighed 37.75lbs

Very pretty looking.

False Turkey Tail and Chicken of the Woods, 9/5/2016

Seen just off the trail across the road from Snelling Lake

Sulphur Shelf Mushroom
Andree Reno Sanborn

Chicken of the Woods - Laetiporous sulphureus
sporeprints

Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sulphureus) on Tree
Carl Barrentine

Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sulphureus) Close-up
Carl Barrentine

Laetiporus sulphureus, The Sulfur Shelf or Chicken Mushroom
Robert Klips

HARVESTING AND COOKING "CHICKEN OF THE WOODS":SULFER SHELF MUSHROOM
sousaville

Alfredo Colon
7/7/2024

Location: Albany, NY

Location: St. Cloud, MN

Location: Lake Shore

Location: Lake Shore

Location: St. Cloud, MN (Benton County)

Location: Minnesota Landscape Arborateum, Chanhassan, MN

Interesting looking fungus!

Location: Anoka County

Apricity Apricity
Fall 2021

Location: Martin County, Fairmont, MN

Location: Bemidji, Beltrami County

Found this in my backyard in Bemidji.

Location: Lake Shore, MN

Looking up at this, I thought it was chicken of the woods, but it was bright yellow, not orange. Found on live oak tree.

It is only the underside (pore surface) on fresh specimens that is bright lemon yellow.

Location: Coon Rapids, Anoka County

Location: Ham Lake, MN

My 11 year old son, Owen found this growing in our woods in Ham Lake!

Location: Outing, Minnesota

It is growing on an oak tree in Outing, Minnesota.

Location: Waseca County

… very delicious !!

Location: Detroit Lakes, Minnesota

found these in our backwoods. From what we collected it weighed 37.75lbs

Location: in the Ogema area

Very pretty looking.

Location: Washington County

Location: Houston County Minnesota

Location: lions park sauk centre

large find all over

Location: in the City park in Eagle Lake

sorry, no photo. Very large bloom on stump. Probably four to five ice cream pails worth.

Location: just north of Milaca, Minnesota

Found a large bunch of Chicken of the Woods mushroom today. Probably 15 to 20 pounds on this one tree. Was really surprised because of the cool wet weather we've had.

Location: Lebanon Hills Park, Eagan MN

Location: Wilmes Lake, Woodbury MN

Location: Lebanon Hills Regional Park

False Turkey Tail and Chicken of the Woods

Location: Zimmerman, MN. Girl Scout Elk River Campground

Location: Fergus Falls, MN

Location: Father Hennepin State Park

Found near the lake in a very wet location. Tree too rotten for me to ID... Sorry!

Location: Fort Snelling State Park, Hennepin County

Seen just off the trail across the road from Snelling Lake

Location: Pope County

LOL..... uh...yep enjoyed them already this year in pope county.

Location: LeSueur County  by Lake Washington by the southwest boat access

See attached pic….it is very good sized.  The stump it formed on is from a tree that fell over in a storm in 2006.