Chicken of the Woods Bisque (or Vegetarian Lobster Bisque)
My taste buds were all sorts of confused when I accidentally discovered that chicken of the woods (laetiporus sp.) bisque tastes an awfully lot like lobster bisque in flavor AND texture. So much so I had to do a double take because that’s… just… not right.
If you don’t get COW when it just pops out, it can be somewhat stringy rather than soft and slippery the way cooked mushrooms are supposed to be. Slightly older, it might lend itself better in texture to something like vegetarian pulled “chicken” barbecue. I found two flushes of chicken of the woods today, but both were not as small and tender as the first one earlier in the spring and while I could have just the slippery edges, I felt like it was such a waste of the rest. So maybe a “cream of chicken… of the woods” was on my mind but… it didn’t come out that way.
The slightly stringy texture with the somewhat seafood-reminiscent flavor we tend to associate with oyster mushrooms created a really, really close resemblance to lobster bisque. So if you have a vegetarian who misses lobster bisque, this might be a really (really) good substitute.
Ingredients
- 1 cup chicken of the woods
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup cream
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
- 1/4 onion, chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons white wine, white merlot, or brandy
- 1 pinch oregano
- Chopped parsley, for garnish
- In a soup pot, sautee garlic and onion in butter until fragrant. Add chicken of the woods and sautee until tender.
- Remove from heat and place into food processor with cream and milk and flour and blend until mostly smooth.
- Pour back into soup pot and add oregano, salt, and pepper to taste. Cook until thickened.
- Stir in wine, merlot, or brandy and remove from heat. Serve garnished with minced parsley.