Day one of all the fun on the GotToBeNC cooking stage at the 2025 NC State Fair is in the books. Boy, was it a blast and a great time was had by all. Two separate cooking demos, both featuring local proteins from Farmasea Farms in Hamptead NC ( located in Pender County at the Carolina coast.). First up, Captain John Mallette took the stage to make his delicious gluten free fried chicken. And then, we were joined by Ken Smith from WRAL and Chef Adé Carrena, both from Raleigh. Both demos delivered delicious results and each dish was paired with an outstanding NC Wine.

More about Adé’s exciting demo in my next post. Meantime keep reading for the recipe for John Mallette’s infamous Gluten-free Fried Chicken. For this demo, John paired the chicken with slow cooked green beans. He also shared his recipe for quick and easy Dirty Rice ( see recipe below).

John Mallette’s Fried Chicken and Dirty Rice state with Tidewater Grain Company

For our first demo of the day Captain John Mallette of Southern Breeze Seafood in Jacksonville NC. John showcased his Gluten Free Chicken Breader, made from Tidewater Grain Company’s Heirloom Rice Flour. For the fried chicken John used local pasture-raised chicken from Farmasea Farm. At Farmasea, owners and farmers Marylee and Gabe ethically raise pastured, heritage pork, beef, chcken and eggs. You can read more about the products at the farm here.

To make the chicken, John started with chicken leg quarters from Farmasea, cut them into two pieces – a thigh and a leg – and then seasoned the raw chicken with garlic salt and pepper from Spicewalla. Then, John tossed the seasoned chicken in his Southern Breeze Chicken Breader. Both times, between seasoning and breading, John allowed the chicken to rest so that the seasonings would have time to settle into the meat of the chicken.

Here’s a Handy, How to Fry tip…

While the chicken was resting, John heated his oil in a Carolina Cooker cast iron skillet.

Pro tip: Heating Oil, but don’t have a thermometer? Use my wooden spoon test. Simply place a clean dry wooden spoon into the pan of oil. As the oil heats, small bubbles will start to form around the wooden spoon. This is exactly as if a piece of food ( in this case, chicken) were frying. When you see the bubbles really bubbling around the spoon, its time to put the breaded chicken in the hot oil.

Heidi Billotto

Once you put the chicken in the hot oil, keep an eye on the meat and the oil temp. You want it to be hot enough to brown the chicken and cook the meat all the way through. But if the oil is too hot, the outside of the chicken will burn and the meat won’t cook through. Don’t over crowd the pan – better to cook the chicken in batches rather than trying to get it in the pan all at the same time. Stay with your chicken as it cooks.

The oil won’t spit or splatter as the chicken is breaded and dry. You can continue to adjust the heat for even browning. Turn the chicken about halfway through the cooking time. All together, chicken legs and thighs should take about 25 mins. When the chicken is done, take it out of the pan with tongs. Place it on a wire rack to cool slightly before serving.

Dirty Rice is the perfect Fried Chicken Accompaniment

While the chicken was frying, John used Farmasea’s Cajun Pork Sausage to make a delicious Dirty Rice.

First, John steamed Tidewater Grain Company’s White Carolina Gold Rice using a Carolina Cooker Charleston Rice Steamer. Then, he allowed the rice to rest after cooking. To start, saute a red onion with a pound of Farmasea Cajun Sausage in a bit of oil. Cook just until the sausage browns. Next, he made a slurry of Tidewater Grain Company rice flour and water. This slurry was the thickening agent for the dirty rice. Finally, he added the rice, thinning the mixture a bit as needed with some chicken broth. Here is the more detailed recipe:

Pairing your Fried Chicken and Dirty Rice with a NC Wine

Our NC Wine pairing for this hearty plate of fried chicken, with sides, is a Duplin Vineyards Scuppernong wine: The Mothervine.

Did you know that Scuppernong grapes are the state fruit of North Carolina? In this case the grape vines for this wine were propagated from the legendary
Mother Vine, an historic Scuppernong grapevine on Roanoke Island, North Carolina. Estimated to be over 400 years old, this grapevine is considered the oldest of its kind on the East Coast.

Duplin Winery is a family owned winery and is the largest winery in the state of North Carolina and the largest producer of muscadine wines in the world. Located in Rose Hill, NC, the winery also has tasting rooms in Myrtle Beach, SC and in Panama, Florida. You can learn more and order Duplin’s The Mothervine for home delivery here.

Read more about Duplin Winery here.

This NC wine is a pale golden straw color with intense aromas of grape jelly and notes of honeysuckle with ripe juicy flavors of honey and pear. While this is a sweeter North Carolina wine, its not too sweet. It was the perfect and refreshing foil to the slightly spicy, slightly salty and deliciously moist fried chicken.

The guests at our on stage Chef’s Table loved the local food and drink, and I know you will too! Can’t wait for you to try John’s recipes and Duplin’s NC wines. Think of this pairing as the perfect picnic food or a great combo for your next fall dinner with family and friends. Cheers!