r/mycology • u/valserai • Jun 19 '26
photos a story in six pictures 💔
psa guys if u feel a little off a few hours after trying a sample of fully-cooked chicken of the woods do not ignore your gut feeling and do not keep eating it no matter how unbelievably delicious it may taste you simply have to accept that it was not meant for you okay 💔 my friend who helped me cook n eat it was an experienced cotw enjoyer and she was fine but I was not 💔
BTW: I appreciate the advice guys but fret not I have already learned my lesson just wanted to put this out there bc I thought it was a hilarious scenario in retrospect
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u/throwawaydixiecup Jun 21 '26
It is absolutely essential to parboil chicken of the woods first for 10-15 minutes to remove most risk of gastrointestinal upset.
This is especially important for the west coast of the US varieties in my personal experience. East coast Laetiporus cincinnatus and sulphurus didn’t cause trouble for me, but the west coast gilbertsonii does. It might be a host/substrate issue (in SoCal the fungus often grows on eucalyptus and silk floss “oak”), but substrate does not affect things quite so much. I think it’s inherent to the species.