Grilled Chicken Thigh

Tavuk pirzola is the Turkish grill-house name for boneless chicken thigh, flattened, marinated and cooked whole over charcoal. Pirzola normally means a chop, as in kuzu pirzola, lamb cutlets, and the chicken version borrows the word for a flat piece of meat grilled whole: one broad, even slab rather than cubes on a skewer. That is the difference from tavuk şiş, which threads cubed chicken onto skewers, and from tavuk kanat, chicken wings. Thigh is chosen over breast because its higher fat content keeps it juicy over the fierce heat of an ocakbaşı (open charcoal grill). The usual plate is one or two thighs with bulgur or rice pilaf, grilled tomato and green pepper, lavaş, and the onion, parsley and sumac salad that comes with most kebabs.