Smoked Chicken Thighs! AIP, budget, and family friendly recipe for juicy, flavorful two-ingredient slow smoked chicken.

If protein is a priority, you don't have to break the bank or slave away over a hot stove. You can actually buy chicken thighs in bulk and batch cook them 1 day per month and get freezer meals for the month that are gluten-free, autoimmune protocol compliant, and 100% delicious.

I'm not much of a promotor, but I come from a Costco family. My mom worked there for 40 years, and I'm a big fan of their meat selection. Since I live 2 hours from my nearest Costco, we usually have to buy at least a month's worth of groceries to make the drive worth it.

Affordable Paleo Freezer Meals

For practical reasons, it just makes sense to smoke and then freeze as much chicken as will fit in our smoker. We get about 30 meals from this process and average 10 minutes per meal or $4. Practically unheard of combo of time-saving and affordability for paleo/aip diets.

Not going to lie, I regularly burn the heck out on the AIP diet. As in, I get bored of eating the same ol’-same ol’. With work and kids, it’s overwhelming to cook every meal from scratch and these chicken thighs are saving me from that fate.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve reached into my chest freezer, found a surprise bag of this chicken and felt instant food security and relief. It’s like a total gift to your future self.

Smoked chicken thighs are easy to enjoy frequently. I don’t find them too tiring but since they can be frozen, it’s nice to take breaks between meals and space them out as needed.

Favorite Add-Ons

I love to serve smoked chicken thighs with fresh lime, avocado, and cilantro. You could also make AIP bbq sauce and serve with a side of vegetables.

If you don't currently own a smoker, please noted you can buy them used. We found ours for $50 on Facebook Marketplace. Even if you've never smoked meat, you should be able to figure it out with a little practice and this basic recipe.

*In the comments, share your favorite AIP freezer sides. I usually do whole roasted sweet potatoes.