It was a photo of chicken of the woods mushrooms from friends Charlene & Butch Castle that sent me into a bit of a frenzy regarding dinner. 

Autumn is the time here for harvesting these eye-catching citrus colored mushrooms.They are delicious simply sauteed with aromatics, or dried for winter cooking. Gathering theses mushrooms is best done sooner rather than later.  

So named because this fungi has the taste and texture of white meat chicken, I had about an hour before we set out to forage. Enough time to prep the recipe I’m sharing. 

Yes, it’s chicken but not of the mushroom type. Just regular bone in, skin on thighs roasted with cauliflower and carrots in a warm spice marinade brightened up with lemon juice. 

I updated my recipe a bit –  whisked the marinade ingredients together then poured it over the chicken and veggies. Into the refrigerator it went, allowing the marinade to penetrate for several hours.

After high heat roasting for about 50 minutes, the chicken was cooked through with crisp skin and the vegetables were fork tender. 

I couldn’t ask for a more pleasant fall day.

The bonus? Leftovers taste even better!

High roasted slashed chicken thighs with cauliflower and carrots

Slashing the skin allows the marinade to penetrate. 

Cut carrots into 1/2” or so slices, since they tend to take longer to cook if cut larger. I cut mine on the diagonal. I also put the carrots along the edges inside the pan. Heat works its way in from the outside in, so the carrots got a good start. 

Ingredients 

Chicken and vegetables

5-6 chicken thighs, bone in and skin on (2# or so) – make a couple thin slashes to cut through skin

About 1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2” slices

1 head cauliflower, broken into flowerets

Marinade: whisk together

2/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup lemon juice or to taste

1 heaping tablespoon ground cumin

1 heaping tablespoon ground coriander

Salt and pepper to taste – I used 1 tablespoon salt and 2 teaspoons pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 475.

Spray a 9×13 or equivalent roasting pan.

Place carrots inside the edges, then add cauliflower in single layer, covering bottom of pan.

Put chicken on top, skin side up.

Pour marinade over all.

Roast, uncovered, until chicken is cooked and registers 165. This takes between 45 and 55 minutes or so.

If chicken browns before it’s done, tent with foil.

Tips: 

Prep ahead

Can be done up to a day ahead, covered tightly in refrigerator.

Allow for a bit of extra roasting time. 

Swap it out

Bone in, skin on legs or breasts work well, too. 

Sniff test

Ground coriander loses its flavor more quickly than other spices.

Give it a sniff – a somewhat sweet, lemony aroma will waft out at optimum freshness. I like to store coriander in the freezer to keep it fresh longer.