Chanterelle mushrooms are delicious wild mushrooms that have a mild, slightly sweet and earthy taste. They are my favorite mushrooms so I have many recipes using them.
In this post, you’ll find chanterelle mushroom recipes, some general information about these mushrooms, like how to cook them or store them. At the end of the post, you’ll find a recipe for the simplest way to cook chanterelles – chanterelle scrambled eggs.
If you’re wondering what to do with chanterelle mushrooms, this is a great place to start!
Chanterelle mushroom recipes
1) Chanterelle omelette
This is my absolutely favorite recipe using chanterelle mushrooms. This cheesy omelet is filled with chanterelle mushrooms sauteed with shallots, garlic, and thyme. The omelet is made with eggs and Gruyere cheese. It’s a great savory breakfast or brunch idea! You could also make a fluffy mushroom omelet, by separating the eggs and beating the egg whites until stiff.
Here’s the recipe: chanterelle mushroom omelette.
2) Creamy chanterelle sauce
This creamy chanterelle sauce is the most versatile recipe using chanterelle mushrooms. You can use it as a pasta sauce, spoon it over a steak, serve with pan-seared chicken breast and boiled potatoes or any kind of dumplings like gnocchi.
Here’s the recipe: creamy chanterelle sauce.
3) Puff pastry mushroom tart
This mushroom tart is made with puff pastry and topped with bold-tasting Gruyere cheese and sautéed balsamic mushrooms. For the tart on this photo I have used chanterelle mushrooms and button mushrooms but you can use only chanterelles. It makes a great appetizer or a quick lunch, served with crunchy salad on the side.
Here’s the recipe: puff pastry mushroom tart.
4) Chanterelle soup
This easy creamy chanterelle soup is full of delicious mushrooms, potatoes, and it’s seasoned with garlic, dill, and feta cheese. It’s light and super flavorful – it really brings out delicious chanterelle mushrooms flavor.
Here’s the recipe: chanterelle soup.
5) Buckwheat risotto with chanterelle mushrooms
If you’ve never made buckwheat groats risotto – you’re missing out! It’s perfect paired with chicken, zucchini, sun-dried tomatoes, feta cheese, and mushrooms. It’s a quick, easy, and delicious dinner idea!
Here’s the recipe: buckwheat risotto with chanterelle mushrooms.
6) Chanterelle pasta
This quick and easy pasta dish is made with mushrooms, fresh tomatoes, and seasoned with lots of garlic, thyme, and parmesan cheese.
Here’s the recipe: chanterelle pasta.
7) Mushroom stuffed chicken breast
I made this dish with cremini mushrooms, but it would also be really great with chanterelles. Chicken breasts are stuffed with sauteed mushrooms and cheese and served with delicious creamy pan sauce.
Here’s the recipe: mushroom stuffed chicken breast.
8) Mushroom quesadilla with caramelized onions
This quesadilla is also made with button mushrooms, but I bet it would also be great with chanterelles. The combination of sauteed mushrooms, caramelized onions, and flavorful cheese is just irresistible!
Here’s the recipe: mushroom quesadilla.
9) Potato pancakes with mushrooms
I like to make plain potato pancakes and serve them with creamy chanterelle sauce or I chop some chanterelles and add them directly to the grated potatoes! (you’ll find detailed instructions in the recipe notes section).
Here’s the recipe: potato pancakes.
Other ideas
- sautee the mushrooms with butter and garlic, then put on a toast
- make a mushroom frittata (here’s my recipe for smoked salmon frittata, you can just swap the salmon for sauteed mushrooms)
- make a mushroom quiche (swap the asparagus for sauteed mushrooms)
- make savory crepes and fill them with mushroom and cheese filling
How to cook chanterelle mushrooms
You can cook chanterelle mushrooms just like any other mushroom type! The best are sautéed in a pan, or added to sauces, soups, or any other dish that you would add mushrooms to.
They are quite watery so it’s hard to brown them, make sure to add them to a pan in an even layer over high heat, then don’t stir for a while so the mushrooms don’t release much liquid allowing them to brown a little.
Season for chanterelle mushrooms
Chanterelles grow from late spring or mid summer into early fall. July to September is prime chanterelle season.
How to clean mushrooms
I usually rinse the mushrooms quickly with water until clean and not covered with dirt. Some say that the chanterelles should not be washed with water, but cleaned gently with a damp towel, sponge, or brush so that they do not soak up water. I wash my chanterelles, because first of all, it takes less time, and secondly, it doesn’t make that much difference in taste with most dishes.
Chanterelles can easily soak up water, but they also naturally contain a lot of water (they are more watery than for example button mushrooms). While making my creamy chanterelle sauce, I made two batches and tried them side-by-side, with the mushrooms cleaned with just a brush and mushrooms washed with water. Chanterelles cleaned with a brush were a little easier to brown on a pan, but there was no significant difference in taste between the two sauces.
Cleaning the mushrooms thoroughly is very important, you don’t want the dirt to end up in your meal. Cleaning each mushroom separately is so time-consuming, in comparison to just washing them in water.
Browning of the mushrooms will also depend on their quantity. A small amount of mushrooms cooked in a large frying pan over high heat will be much easier to brown. If you have lots of mushrooms, they will immediately release water because there are simply a lot of them.
To dry the chanterelles, you can use a salad spinner or you can wash the chanterelles, leave them in the fridge overnight to dry, and cook them the next day.
A Tip: how to quickly clean a large amount of chanterelles: add them to a large bowl filled with water. Leave them for 5-10 minutes, most of the dirt should fall at the bottom of the bowl. Clean the mushrooms until there is no more dirt on them (small black flecks).
Storage
Store the chanterelles in a closed container in the fridge for up to 5 days. I noticed they keep better when not washed with water.
They can also be frozen. Clean them thoroughly then freeze for up to 6 months. Thawed mushrooms won’t be crunchy, they will have a soft texture.
You can also dry chanterelles in a dehydrator or oven. Place your dehydrated mushrooms in a blender and process them until they turn into a fine powder. You can use this mushroom powder to elevate the flavor of many sauces or stews. I would not recommend soaking dried chanterelle mushrooms to reconstitute their texture – they will be rubbery.
Chanterelle scrambled eggs recipe
This is the simplest way to use up fresh chanterelles. Simply cook chanterelles with butter and shallots until softened then add eggs and cook until set but still soft.
This is a very simple recipe BUT there are a couple of things you need to pay attention to:
- onions should be completely soft (that’s why I like to use shallots which are softer and quicker to cook) – biting into soft scrambled eggs with hard onion pieces is not a great eating experience
- chanterelles should be soft but still a little crunchy, and not mushy and overcooked!
- if you want to get SOFT scrambled eggs the way to go is to cook them low and slow – cook them slowly over low heat, stirring CONSTANTLY until the eggs are set – it will take much longer than regular scrambled eggs, but taking the time is so worth it (if you like soft scrambled eggs, of course).
Ingredients
To make chanterelle scrambled eggs you’ll need:
- eggs
- cream or milk (you can also omit them)
- fresh chanterelle mushrooms
- shallot (you can use small onion instead, but you need to cook it much longer to ensure it’s really nicely soft)#
- butter to cook the eggs
- salt and pepper
Step by step instructions
STEP 1: Cut the shallot very finely. How to cut chanterelles: leaves small mushrooms whole, cut medium mushrooms into 2 parts, big mushrooms into 3-4 parts. The pieces should be uniformly thick – they will cook evenly. You don’t want them too small – they will be too soft and mushy.
STEP 2: Heat the butter in a medium/large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Cook the shallot until soft, then increase the heat to medium-high and add the mushrooms in an even layer. Cook without stirring for 1-2 minutes, when they release water you can stir them. Increase the heat to high and cook the mushrooms until the excess liquid is evaporated, but the mushrooms are just slightly soft (they should not be completely soft at this point).
STEP 3: In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with cream, season them with salt and pepper.
STEP 4: Add the eggs to the pan.
STEP 5+6: Cook the eggs slowly over low heat, stirring constantly with a spatula, until set but still soft and not dry.
Enjoy!
Chanterelle Mushroom Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 shallot
- 5 oz (140g) chanterelle mushrooms
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream or milk
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Cut the shallot very finely. How to cut chanterelles: leaves small mushrooms whole, cut medium mushrooms into 2 parts, big mushrooms into 3-4 parts.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with cream, season them with salt and pepper.
- Heat the butter in a medium/large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Cook the shallot until soft, then increase the heat to medium-high and add the mushrooms in an even layer. Cook without stirring for 1-2 minutes, when they release water you can stir them. Increase the heat to high and cook the mushrooms until the excess liquid is evaporated, but the mushrooms are just slightly soft (they should not be completely soft at this point).
- Add the eggs to the pan. Cook the eggs slowly over low heat, stirring constantly with a spatula, until set but still soft and not dry.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- This is a very simple recipe BUT there are a couple of things you need to pay attention to:
- onions should be completely soft (that’s why I like to use shallots which are softer and quicker to cook)
- chanterelles should be soft but still a little crunchy, and not mushy and overcooked!
- if you want to get SOFT scrambled eggs the way to go is to cook them low and slow – cook them slowly over low heat, stirring CONSTANTLY until the eggs are set.
- Calories = 1 serving (1/2 of the recipe). This is only an estimate!
Did you make this recipe? RATE THE RECIPE or tell me in the COMMENTS how you liked it! You can also add a photo of your dish. It would make me very happy and will help other readers. Thank you!!
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