Gewürtztraminer Chicken with Cabbage and Leeks

Preheat oven to 500°F. Bone chicken thighs leaving flesh and skin intact. Reserve bones. In a glass bowl season chicken with salt and pepper and cover with about 2 cups wine. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Meanwhile, roast bones in a roasting pan for 30 minutes, turning once, until bones are golden brown. Drain fat from roasting pan. Add carrots, 1 leek cut into chunks and 1 smashed garlic clove, distributing vegetables over bones. Cook 30 minutes more and drain off any additional fat. Transfer bones and vegetables to a heavy saucepan. Deglaze roasting pan with ¹⁄₂ cup water over medium­high heat, scraping bottom of pan to incorporate any browned bits. Add to saucepan along with additional 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 1 hour. Strain through a sieve and discard bones and vegetables. Refrigerate stock overnight and remove layer of fat from surface next day. You should have 1 cup of stock.

When ready to prepare, remove chicken from marinade and pat dry. Cut 2 bacon slices into 8 2­inch pieces and tuck one piece under the skin of each chicken thigh. Cut remaining bacon into 2­inch strips and reserve. Cut the remaining 2 leeks into long, thin julienne strips. Mince remaining 2 cloves of garlic.

Heat 4 teaspoons of butter in a large, heavy sauté pan over medium­low heat and cook leeks and garlic for about 5 minutes until softened and lightly browned. Raise heat to high, add bacon strips, cabbage and nutmeg and toss well. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until cabbage starts to soften and brown lightly. Pour in 4 teaspoons of Gewürtztraminer, stir and remove pan from heat. Transfer cabbage mixture to a heatproof bowl, let cool for a moment, then stir in beaten egg. Keep cabbage warm over simmering water, making sure egg thickens a bit into a light sauce but does not cook. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Wipe out sauté pan, then add 3 tablespoons of butter over medium­high heat. Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper and dredge lightly in flour. As soon as foam starts to subside, add thighs, skin­side down, and cook for 5 minutes, until deep brown. Turn and cook second side until deep brown, 3 to 4 minutes longer. Remove chicken, drain on paper towels and keep warm. Pour fat from pan and add reserved chicken stock over high heat. Boil stock to reduce it quickly by one­third. Then add about ¹⁄₂ cup of Gewürtztraminer and bring just to a boil. Off heat, begin blending in 4 tablespoons of butter, a spoonful at a time, moving pan on and off heat so sauce thickens but does not boil and separate. Season to taste with salt and pepper. To serve, divide cabbage mixture among 4 dinner plates and nestle 2 chicken thighs on either side. Pour sauce around chicken and cabbage, sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve immediately.