Do you want to know how to freeze the Chicken of the Woods? Find out everything you need to know below. Let’s go !
Clean And Freeze Your Chicken Of The Woods
Chicken of the woods can be easily frozen! However, before freezing them, they must be cleaned.
- Simply clean the top and the bottom of the mushroom.
- Next, you have to check that the Chicken of the Woods is not wormy.
- If it is wormy, then remove the wormy parts and keep the healthy parts.
It’s that simple!
If you want to directly find out about the best mushroom spots, explore our Mushroom Maps 🙂
How To Freeze The Chicken Of The Woods?
Freezing Raw Chicken Of The Woods
You can freeze your Chicken of the Woods directly in your freezer. But be careful to use an airtight bag to ensure optimal freezing and avoid crystals.
However, be sure to clean your Chicken of the Woods well and cut it into thin slices to simplify their storage in the freezer compartment. Of course, when cleaning, you will avoid using water so that they do not gorge themselves on it just before freezing.
Finally, you should know that freezing raw Chicken of the Woods is not recommended because they contain a lot of water (more than 90%). This water will take up more space once frozen and will completely destroy the structure of your mushroom as well as their taste. And unfortunately, once thawed, your Chicken of the Woods will turn to mush and they will be bland. Here’s why the second method might work better for you.
Freezing Cooked Chicken Of The Woods
This is probably the best way to keep your Chicken of the Woods in the freezer! It is better to cook them before freezing them! Why ? Because thanks to cooking, they will lose most of their water. This way, freezing will be less detrimental to the taste and texture of your frozen Chicken of the Woods.
However, avoid freezing recipes using Chicken of the Woods that contain cream. Indeed, cream-based products do not keep well in the freezer. (on one side the water, on the other the fat)
How Long Can You Keep Chicken Of The Woods In The Freezer?
We recommend that you keep the chicken of the woods for less than a year in your freezer!
How To Unfreeze Them?
Method For Thawing Them
To thaw them, you can place them in a saucepan with a lid, over low heat with a little fat in the bottom of the pan. Thus, your frozen Chicken of the Woods will warm up very slowly and will end up defrosting gently. You can then switch to more intense cooking.
Cooking Frozen Chicken Of The Woods
The cooking time of Chicken of the Woods does not change! Whether fresh, dried or frozen, they must be cooked for at least 20 minutes! Here, in the case of frozen ones, they must first be thawed over low heat, before cooking or reheating them over medium/high heat for 20 minutes.
Check Out Our Mushroom Maps!
Looking for Morels, Porcini or other mushrooms? Explore our Mushroom Maps to find the main edible mushrooms in your area! Have fun!
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