Loading conditions…
← Back to MyCodex
Chicken of the WoodsLaetiporus sulphureus
Edibility
Choice
Lookalike Danger
1 / 5
Habitat
🌳 Oak, hardwood
Season
Jun – Oct🌱 Now
"Neon shelves on standing dead oak. Young margins taste like chicken — old ones will upset your stomach."
🌳 Host Trees & Plants
This species is found with or partners with the following hosts. Ectomycorrhizal hosts (green border) form a root-level partnership; ericoid / arbutoid shrubs (purple border) share the same mycorrhizal networks.
Oak
Quercus spp.
Ectomycorrhizal · Forageable
Truffle / bolete / chanterelle host. Acorns edible after leaching.
Hardwood Forest
Fagaceae / Betulaceae (generic)
Saprobic substrate
Generic hardwood habitat — oak, maple, beech, birch, etc. Shown when the species is reported from hardwoods generally.
Bright yellow-orange shelving polypore that fruits in bracket clusters on dead or dying hardwood. One of the easiest edibles to identify when on oak or cherry — no dangerous lookalikes in that habitat. The outer 1-2 inches of the shelf is tender; older growth gets tough.
Habitat
Dead and dying oak, cherry, and chestnut across the eastern hardwood belt. Saprophytic to weakly parasitic — often fruits on the same tree year after year. Summer through early fall, a week after 0.5"+ rain when air temps are warm.
Look for this on the ground
Oak leaf litter
Look for lobed brown oak leaves, scattered acorns, dark humus underneath.
Season Windows by Region
Region
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Red Hills / Gyp Hills
KS · 1,500–2,200 ft
Chattahoochee National Forest
GA · 1,200–4,784 ft
Apalachicola National Forest
FL · 10–300 ft
Ocala National Forest
FL · 20–200 ft
Myakka / Southwest Florida
FL · 5–100 ft
Ouachita NF (OK)
OK · 600–2,500 ft
Ozark Plateau (NE OK)
OK · 700–1,800 ft
Wichita Mountains
OK · 1,200–2,479 ft
Sam Houston NF
TX · 80–350 ft
Big Thicket
TX · 50–400 ft
Davy Crockett NF
TX · 200–500 ft
Hill Country
TX · 1,000–2,500 ft
Ozark NF
AR · 700–2,700 ft
Ouachita NF (AR)
AR · 600–2,700 ft
Buffalo National River
AR · 500–2,500 ft
Bankhead NF
AL · 600–1,100 ft
Talladega NF
AL · 700–2,407 ft
De Soto NF
MS · 100–400 ft
Kisatchie NF
LA · 80–400 ft
Sumter NF (Andrew Pickens)
SC · 800–3,500 ft
Francis Marion NF
SC · 10–100 ft
Oconee NF / GA Piedmont
GA · 400–800 ft
Holly Springs NF
MS · 300–600 ft
Atchafalaya Basin
LA · 5–50 ft
Conecuh NF
AL · 200–400 ft
Mobile-Tensaw Delta
AL · 0–50 ft
Tombigbee NF
MS · 300–700 ft
Congaree NP
SC · 100–200 ft
Okefenokee / SE GA
GA · 100–200 ft
Blackwater / FL Panhandle
FL · 50–300 ft
Osage Hills / Cross Timbers
OK · 700–1,250 ft
Ozark Highlands
MO · 800–1,772 ft
Missouri River Valley
MO · 500–1,200 ft
Mark Twain National Forest
MO · 600–1,600 ft
Northeast Missouri Prairies
MO · 600–1,000 ft
Daniel Boone NF
KY · 700–2,700 ft
Land Between the Lakes
KY · 350–750 ft
Shawnee NF
IL · 350–1,065 ft
Central IL Prairies
IL · 450–850 ft
NW IL Driftless
IL · 600–1,200 ft
Hoosier NF / Brown County
IN · 500–1,050 ft
Central IN
IN · 650–1,050 ft
NE Indiana
IN · 750–1,100 ft
Hocking Hills
OH · 650–1,150 ft
Wayne NF
OH · 600–1,400 ft
NE Ohio
OH · 650–1,350 ft
Monongahela National Forest
WV · 1,500–4,863 ft
New River Gorge
WV · 800–3,200 ft
Shenandoah / Blue Ridge
VA · 1,000–4,049 ft
Southwest Virginia Highlands
VA · 2,000–5,729 ft
Central PA Ridges
PA · 800–2,500 ft
Allegheny National Forest
PA · 1,000–2,300 ft
Pocono Mountains
PA · 800–2,200 ft
Great Smoky Mountains
TN · 900–6,643 ft
Cumberland Plateau
TN · 1,000–3,500 ft
Western NC Mountains
NC · 2,000–6,684 ft
Foothills / Piedmont Transition
NC · 800–2,500 ft
Eastern Kansas River Valleys
KS · 750–1,200 ft
NE Kansas Woodlands
KS · 800–1,300 ft
Niobrara River Valley
NE · 1,900–2,700 ft
Western MD / Catoctin
MD · 700–3,360 ft
White Clay Creek
DE · 100–350 ft
NW NJ / High Point
NJ · 400–1,803 ft
Flint Hills
KS · 1,000–1,600 ft
Uwharrie NF
NC · 400–1,100 ft
Croatan NF
NC · 0–150 ft
George Washington NF
VA · 1,000–4,397 ft
Laurel Highlands
PA · 1,200–3,213 ft
Cherokee NF
TN · 1,000–6,285 ft
Oak Openings / NW Ohio
OH · 620–720 ft
NJ Pine Barrens
NJ · 0–200 ft
Eastern NE / Missouri Bluffs
NE · 900–1,350 ft
Smoky Hills / Wilson Lake
KS · 1,500–1,950 ft
Central NE / Platte & Loup Rivers
NE · 2,300–3,400 ft
Texas Panhandle / Caprock Canyons
TX · 2,000–3,400 ft
Great Dismal Swamp NWR
VA · 0–25 ft
VA Tidewater / Colonial Parkway
VA · 0–150 ft
Alligator River NWR / Eastern NC
NC · 0–25 ft
NC Sandhills / Weymouth Woods
NC · 150–600 ft
Tuskegee NF / East-Central AL
AL · 150–600 ft
Ocmulgee / Central GA Piedmont
GA · 250–750 ft
Red Hills / Thomasville GA
GA · 200–450 ft
Savannah / Hilton Head Coast
GA · 0–40 ft
Coal River / Southern WV
WV · 800–3,200 ft
Mon NF South / Cranberry Wilderness
WV · 2,500–4,863 ft
Cumberland Gap / SE KY
KY · 1,200–2,700 ft
Western KY / Pennyrile
KY · 350–700 ft
Big South Fork / NE TN
TN · 1,000–1,900 ft
Nantahala NF / Western NC
NC · 2,000–5,500 ft
Western NY / Allegany SP
NY · 1,500–2,300 ft
Pine Creek / North-Central PA
PA · 1,000–2,300 ft
Cross Timbers / LBJ National Grassland
TX · 700–1,200 ft
Lost Pines / Bastrop
TX · 300–700 ft
Coastal Bend / Lake Corpus Christi
TX · 50–400 ft
Arbuckle Mountains / Chickasaw
OK · 700–1,400 ft
Theodore Roosevelt NP / Badlands ND
ND · 1,950–2,855 ft
Turtle Mountain SF
ND · 1,800–2,400 ft
Pembina Gorge
ND · 850–1,500 ft
Superior NF / BWCA
MN · 1,300–2,301 ft
Chippewa NF
MN · 1,200–1,500 ft
Loess Hills
IA · 1,000–1,500 ft
NE Iowa Driftless / Effigy Mounds
IA · 650–1,250 ft
Adirondacks
NY · 1,000–5,344 ft
MN North Shore / Sawtooth
MN · 600–2,301 ft
SE South Dakota / Newton Hills
SD · 1,300–1,550 ft
Sheyenne NG Oak Savanna
ND · 1,000–1,350 ft
Minnesota River Valley
MN · 800–1,150 ft
Cape Cod National Seashore
MA · 0–306 ft
Pachaug SF / Eastern CT
CT · 200–500 ft
Trap Pond / DE Bald Cypress
DE · 20–80 ft
Pocomoke / Eastern Shore
MD · 0–50 ft
Great Swamp / Central RI
RI · 10–120 ft
Chequamegon NF / NW WI
WI · 1,000–1,900 ft
Black River SF / Driftless WI North
WI · 750–1,400 ft
Catskills North / Mountain Lakes
NY · 800–4,000 ft
Mid-Coast Maine
ME · 0–800 ft
Connecticut River Valley / NH
NH · 300–1,500 ft
Hiawatha NF / Eastern UP
MI · 600–1,100 ft
Huron NF / Lower MI
MI · 600–1,200 ft
SW Michigan
MI · 580–1,000 ft
Central MI
MI · 700–1,400 ft
Northern Lower Peninsula
MI · 600–1,700 ft
Upper Peninsula
MI · 600–1,979 ft
WI Driftless Area
WI · 650–1,700 ft
Central WI
WI · 750–1,400 ft
Northern WI
WI · 1,000–1,950 ft
Eastern IA River Valleys
IA · 550–1,100 ft
Southern IA
IA · 700–1,300 ft
SE MN Driftless
MN · 650–1,350 ft
Central MN
MN · 900–1,500 ft
Catskills / Hudson Valley
NY · 400–4,180 ft
Finger Lakes / Central NY
NY · 500–2,000 ft
Acadia / Down East
ME · 0–1,530 ft
Western Maine
ME · 400–4,170 ft
Northern Maine
ME · 500–5,267 ft
White Mountains
NH · 800–6,288 ft
Lakes Region / Southern NH
NH · 300–1,800 ft
Green Mountains
VT · 800–4,393 ft
Northeast Kingdom
VT · 600–3,300 ft
Berkshires / Western MA
MA · 500–3,491 ft
Northwest CT Hills
CT · 400–2,380 ft
Arcadia / South County
RI · 0–812 ft
Growing Requirements
Min Soil Temp
60°F
Moisture Need
rain 0.5in 7d
Drought Tolerance
low
Elevation Range
0–6,684 ft
Look-Alikes
Species to rule out before picking. Each is tagged with its own edibility.
Laetiporus conifericola / gilbertsonii (Western on conifers)
Use cautionSpecimens on conifers or eucalyptus can cause GI upset in some foragers. Stick to oak and cherry hosts in the East.
Other Laetiporus species (white-pored)
EdibleL. cincinnatus (white pores, a rosette at the base of hardwoods) is also choice. Whatever the species, avoid chicken of the woods growing on conifers, eucalyptus or locust, which upsets some people.
Identification Tips
- ✓Confirm the host tree is oak or cherry before eating — conifer specimens can upset some stomachs
- ✓Harvest young — the soft outer inch is tender; older interior gets chalky
- ✓Blanch first, then sauté or add to stews; texture holds up well to long cooking
- ✓Mark the tree — chicken of the woods often re-fruits in the same spot for years
Field Notes
Dead oak and cherry through the mid-Atlantic, Appalachian, and Ozark hardwood belt. Fruits in bright yellow-orange shelves after summer rains; re-flushes on the same tree year after year.
Found Chicken of the Woods?
Photograph it and log your observation on iNaturalist. The community can help confirm your ID — always get confirmation before eating.
Safety: Never eat any wild mushroom without 100% certain identification from multiple sources. This page is for informational purposes only. When in doubt, throw it out.