Grilled Chicken of the Woods Sandwich

Chicken of the Woods is a mushroom also known by its fancy name, Laetiporus. It’s a bright orangey-yellow shelf mushroom with a texture similar to chicken and a soft, lemony scent. In this awesome sandwich, these tasty mushrooms are cooked in a cast iron skillet with seasoning until golden and crispy before being baked in the oven. You can assemble the sandwich any way you like — with vegan cheese, onions, greens, etc... You'll be amazed by just how chicken-like this sandwich tastes.

Grilled Chicken of the Woods Sandwich [Vegan]

Ingredients

For the Chicken of the Woods Cutlets:

• 2-3 good size Chicken of the Woods mushrooms (about the size of chicken breast cutlets)
• 3-4 tablespoons canola or grapeseed oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme picked, chopped(or 1/2 tablespoon dried thyme
• 3/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated onion
• A couple of pinches of sea salt
• A couple of pinches of black pepper

For the Sandwich Toppings:

• Seeded whole wheat bun, quickly steamed then grilled
• Vegan cheese slices
• 1/4 cup shaved red onion, rinsed and chilled
• A few leaves of Swiss chard or spinach
• 1/4 cup vegan chipotle mayonnaise

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. When you are ready to make the mushrooms, heat a heavy-duty or cast iron pan over medium heat. You’ll be adding 2 tablespoons of oil right before you place the mushrooms to begin cooking.
3. Separately, on 1/2 sheet pan, lay out all mushrooms in whole clusters. Then, add clusters one at a time to heated pan. Weigh down with an additional cast iron pan or heavier cover to create a press. Cook for 2 minutes like this initially, then flip over.
4. Evenly distribute the remaining oil on each mushroom cluster after it’s been flipped and season lightly with dry seasonings then press down again.
5. Repeat this process several times until mushrooms are condensed and pressed into crispy golden brown steaks with minimal to no liquid in the pan, except for oil. The added oils provide the fat that will create a much more calorie-dense dish and mouth feel.
6. Once this is achieved, place sheet pan with the golden brown mushrooms in oven and roast for additional 10 minutes. Then top the mushrooms with the vegan cheese and bake another 5 minutes before assembling the sandwiches.
7. Quickly steam the buns in a steam basket. Alternatively, grill them in the same hot pan the mushrooms were cooked in until toasted on the bottoms, just a minute or two.
8. Then, build the sandwich the way you like.

https://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-recipe/grilled-chicken-of-the-woods-sandwich/