Arugula, Feta and Olive Stuffed Chicken Thighs

Given the choice between Greek or Caesar salad, do you always spring for the Greek? (I do!) When you breeze past a display of gourmet olives at your neighborhood deli or upscale grocer, are you instantly intrigued? Does feta cheese strike you as simultaneously intense and mild? This chicken dish is for the legions of lovers of Mediterranean food, shouting,"yes! yes! YES!"

8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 cup organic arugula, finely chopped (you can substitute this with spinach)
8 ounces feta cheese
¼ cup white onion, minced
¼ cup kalamata olives, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon dried basil (note: if you prefer fresh, chop it finely)
1 teaspoon dried mint (see note on basil above)
Cracked black pepper to taste

In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients, save chicken thighs and pepper. Blend very well. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and lightly grease a cookie sheet with olive oil. Gently flatten chicken thighs with a kitchen mallet, then lay out each thigh, one at a time; place roughly 1.5 ounces of mixture on each and roll it up, placing it on the cookie sheet with the seam side down. Repeat this process for each thigh. Before placing Serves 4.

Food Fact! Arugula (Eruca sativa) is an aromatic salad green which some describe as a spicy little leaf, and others characterize as having a "peppery-mustardy" flavor. Native to the Mediterranean region, arugula is also known as rocket, roquette, rugula and rucola---a derivation of the French roquette. Very low in calories and high in vitamins A and C, arugula’s “spicy little leaf” has a spicy history; According to Cambridge World History of Food, arugula seed has been used as an ingredient in aphrodisiac concoctions dating back to the first century, AD.
On the island of Ischia in the Gulf of Naples, a digestive alcohol called rucolino is made from the plant, a drink often enjoyed in small quantities following a meal. With Ischia's craggy mountain slopes dotted with pine and chestnut forests, an abundance of thermal springs, and a legacy of its volcanic origins, the island's main attraction is its many spas.