Stuffed Chicken Thighs

• Four boneless, skinless chicken thighs, all visible fat removed
• 4 baby portabella, crimini, or plain mushrooms, chopped into small pieces
• 1 carrot, peeled, chopped into small pieces
• 4 slices canadian bacon, chopped into small pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped into small pieces
• 1/4 cup chopped spinach
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta or fat free feta cheese
• 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• An additional 2 tablespoons balsamic
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch, or arrowroot dissolved in 1/4 cup water

Lightly Pound (I know Oxymoron) the chicken thighs to make them uniform in thickness, set aside.

Heat up a skillet, spray with cooking spray or put in a drizzle of oil, over medium high heat cook the bacon for two or three minutes, add the garlic, carrot, and mushrooms, cook until the carrot pieces are tender.  After a few minutes the mushrooms will have given up their juice and that would have evaporated, when the pan starts getting dry add the 4 tablespoons balsamic and continue cooking until the vegetables are done. Add the spinach, cook another minute or two until that is wilted.

Remove from heat to a bowl, stir in the feta.

Put two of the thighs down on a square of aluminum foil (one each) and season lightly with salt and pepper.  Mound half of the filling onto each thigh, lay the other thigh on top.  Season the top one with salt and pepper, then wrap the entire thigh tightly in the foil.  Repeat with the other one.  Place the two packets in a pan and bake at 400 for 30 minutes.

Place the thighs back into a pan and under the broiler to brown the top thigh.

Open, and pour the drippings in the packet into a small skillet.  Add the 2 tablespoons of balsamic, and bring to a boil and reduce the volume in half.  Add the starch mixture, return to a boil, seacon to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve the sauce over the stuffed chicken thighs.