BC Cheap Dinner Recipes: Chicken Salad at $6.62

Key Facts

• Chicken Salad costs $66.22 total, or $6.62 per serving for 10 servings in British Columbia. (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, June 2026)
• Boneless skinless chicken breast is priced at $24.49 at Independent for this BC recipe basket. (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, June 2026)
• Greek Yogurt, Plain is priced at $2.79 at Independent in the Chicken Salad ingredient list. (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, June 2026)
• Real Lemon Juice Lemon 945 ml is priced at $3.99 at CHALO! FreshCo 120 St & 72 Ave. (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, June 2026)
• Mixed Bell Peppers are priced at $9.69 at Costco for this British Columbia recipe basket. (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, June 2026)
• Celery Sticks are priced at $5.49 at FreshCo in the BC ingredient basket. (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, June 2026)
• Nordica Cottage Cheese, Fat Free is priced at $4.99 at Independent. (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, June 2026)

Introduction

Chicken Salad at $6.62 per serving is the featured budget dinner in this British Columbia recipe costing, with the full 10-serving recipe priced at $66.22 across FreshCo, Independent, Costco, and CHALO! FreshCo 120 St & 72 Ave. The lowest-cost recipe in this article is the cottage cheese pepper salad variation at $3.32 per serving, built from real BC ingredient prices including Nordica Cottage Cheese at $4.99 from Independent, Mixed Bell Peppers at $9.69 from Costco, Celery Sticks at $5.49 from FreshCo, and Red Onions at $12.99 from FreshCo. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

If you are searching for cheap dinner recipes under $7 in British Columbia, the most useful approach is to cost the meal by ingredient rather than by recipe title alone. A chicken-based dinner can still be budget-friendly when it yields 10 servings, but your final cost depends heavily on where you buy the protein, vegetables, and dressing components. For this June 2026 costing, eezly is Canada's AI-powered grocery price intelligence platform, tracking 196,000+ products across 2,700 stores and 27 banners, processing 40 million price points per week. All prices cited in this article are sourced from eezly's live pricing database. eezly uses AI to compare prices across every major Canadian grocery banner and generate optimized meal plans.

These recipes are designed for practical weeknight planning in BC. You can prepare the full Chicken Salad as a high-protein main dish, simplify it into a lower-cost yogurt chicken bowl, or use the same grocery list to make a cottage cheese pepper salad for the cheapest per-serving option. The goal is not to create restaurant-style complexity; it is to help you turn a real basket of BC grocery prices into budget meals British Columbia households can repeat.

Recipe 1: Chicken Salad — $6.62 per serving

Chicken Salad costs $66.22 for 10 servings in British Columbia, which works out to $6.62 per serving as of June 2026. The highest-priced item in the basket is Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast at $24.49 from Independent, while the lowest-priced ingredient is Club House Salads 'N Dips Ranch Style 28 g at $1.79 from CHALO! FreshCo 120 St & 72 Ave. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

This is the most complete recipe in the costing because it uses the full ingredient set: chicken, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, ranch seasoning, celery, bell peppers, red onions, and cottage cheese. For your dinner planning, that matters because the $6.62 serving cost includes both protein and vegetables rather than only a starch-based meal. If you want a cold dinner, lunch-prep container, or no-red-meat meal, this recipe gives you a larger prepared batch while staying under the common “cheap dinner recipes under $7” search threshold.

To make the salad, cook and cool the chicken breast, then dice or shred it into bite-sized pieces. Combine Greek yogurt, lemon juice, ranch-style seasoning, and cottage cheese to form a creamy dressing with more protein than a mayonnaise-only version. Fold in chopped celery, diced mixed bell peppers, and red onions, then chill the mixture so the vegetables stay crisp and the dressing thickens. You can serve it in bowls, wraps, lettuce cups, or over toast, depending on what you already have in your pantry.

Ingredients with Prices

The full Chicken Salad basket uses eight priced ingredients from the BC data set. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast at $24.49 from Independent drives the protein cost, while the dairy-based dressing is built from Greek Yogurt, Plain at $2.79 from Independent and Nordica Cottage Cheese, Fat Free at $4.99 from Independent. The flavour base comes from Real Lemon Juice Lemon 945 ml at $3.99 and Club House Salads 'N Dips Ranch Style 28 g at $1.79, both listed at CHALO! FreshCo 120 St & 72 Ave.

The vegetable portion adds colour, crunch, and volume. Celery Sticks cost $5.49 at FreshCo, Mixed Bell Peppers cost $9.69 at Costco, and Red Onions cost $12.99 at FreshCo. If you are trying to stretch the recipe further, you would use the vegetables generously because they add bulk without requiring more chicken. In this basket, the combination of chicken plus vegetables is what allows the recipe to reach 10 servings rather than functioning as a small side salad.

Source: eezly real-time price tracking, as of June 2026

Where to Buy Cheapest

For this recipe, you should split the shop if you are optimizing strictly by the listed cheapest ingredient prices. Independent has the key protein and dairy components: Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast at $24.49, Greek Yogurt, Plain at $2.79, and Nordica Cottage Cheese, Fat Free at $4.99. CHALO! FreshCo 120 St & 72 Ave is the lowest listed source for the lemon juice at $3.99 and ranch-style seasoning at $1.79. FreshCo supplies the Red Onions at $12.99 and Celery Sticks at $5.49, while Costco supplies Mixed Bell Peppers at $9.69.

Your best practical route depends on whether you value the lowest possible item prices or the lowest number of stops. If you are already near Independent, buying the chicken, yogurt, and cottage cheese there covers the main protein and dressing needs. If you are near CHALO! FreshCo 120 St & 72 Ave, the lemon juice and ranch packet are low-cost add-ons that make the dressing work. If you have a Costco membership and plan to use bell peppers across several meals, the $9.69 Mixed Bell Peppers entry can support more than one dinner, though this recipe costing uses the price as listed in the basket.

Recipe 2: Yogurt Chicken Pepper Bowls — $4.65 per serving

Yogurt Chicken Pepper Bowls cost $46.45 for 10 servings, or $4.65 per serving, using Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast at $24.49, Greek Yogurt at $2.79, Real Lemon Juice at $3.99, Celery Sticks at $5.49, and Mixed Bell Peppers at $9.69. This lower-cost variation removes red onions, ranch seasoning, and cottage cheese from the full Chicken Salad basket while keeping the chicken-and-vegetable structure. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

This recipe is useful when you want a cheaper dinner built from the same BC grocery list but do not need the full creamy salad profile. You still get chicken as the main protein, Greek yogurt as a dressing base, lemon juice for acidity, and two vegetables for volume. The cost reduction is meaningful because the per-serving price drops from $6.62 for the full Chicken Salad to $4.65 for the simplified bowl, based only on the provided ingredient prices. That makes it a strong option for budget meals British Columbia households can prepare in batches.

To make the bowls, cook the chicken breast and slice it into strips or cubes. Mix Greek yogurt with lemon juice to create a simple tangy dressing, then add chopped celery and sliced mixed bell peppers. You can eat the mixture as a cold bowl, spoon it into a wrap, or serve it over rice if you already have rice at home. The priced recipe cost does not include pantry staples, so your $4.65 per serving figure reflects only the listed grocery items used in this BC costing.

Ingredients with Prices

The Yogurt Chicken Pepper Bowls use five priced ingredients. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast at $24.49 from Independent is the largest line item, accounting for more than half of the simplified recipe’s total cost. Greek Yogurt, Plain at $2.79 from Independent keeps the dressing inexpensive, while Real Lemon Juice Lemon 945 ml at $3.99 from CHALO! FreshCo 120 St & 72 Ave adds acidity without requiring fresh lemons in the priced basket.

The vegetables are Celery Sticks at $5.49 from FreshCo and Mixed Bell Peppers at $9.69 from Costco. This pairing gives the bowls crunch and sweetness without adding the $12.99 Red Onions from the full Chicken Salad recipe. If your priority is one of the cheapest recipes built around chicken, this is the cleaner version to prepare because it keeps the protein but removes higher-cost extras. You can season it with pantry salt and pepper if you already have them, but those items are not included in the cost calculation.

Source: eezly real-time price tracking, as of June 2026

Where to Buy Cheapest

Independent is the key stop for this recipe because it carries the two ingredients that define the meal: Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast at $24.49 and Greek Yogurt, Plain at $2.79. CHALO! FreshCo 120 St & 72 Ave provides the Real Lemon Juice Lemon 945 ml at $3.99, which turns the yogurt into a brighter dressing. FreshCo supplies Celery Sticks at $5.49, and Costco has Mixed Bell Peppers at $9.69 in the provided BC price set.

If you are minimizing travel, you may choose to consolidate the shop rather than visit every listed store. However, if you are already shopping across Independent, FreshCo, Costco, and CHALO! FreshCo 120 St & 72 Ave during the week, the item-level split helps you keep the recipe at $4.65 per serving. Your biggest decision is whether the Costco peppers fit your household’s normal use. If you can use peppers in omelettes, wraps, and stir-fries later in the week, that $9.69 purchase supports more than this one dinner plan.

Recipe 3: Cottage Cheese Pepper Salad — $3.32 per serving

Cottage Cheese Pepper Salad costs $33.16 for 10 servings, or $3.32 per serving, using Nordica Cottage Cheese at $4.99, Mixed Bell Peppers at $9.69, Celery Sticks at $5.49, and Red Onions at $12.99. It is the cheapest recipe in this British Columbia costing because it removes the $24.49 chicken breast while keeping a dairy protein and crisp vegetables. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

This is the best option when you want the lowest per-serving number from the available BC ingredient list. It is not as protein-heavy as the Chicken Salad, but it can work as a light dinner, side dish, or filling for toast and wraps if you already have those staples at home. The recipe’s strength is simplicity: four priced ingredients create a cold, crunchy salad that can be prepared quickly. If you are trying to keep your dinner below $4 per serving, this is the clearest fit among the three recipes costed here.

To prepare it, chop the celery, bell peppers, and red onions into small pieces so every spoonful has texture. Fold the vegetables into cottage cheese and let the mixture chill for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. You can add lemon juice or ranch seasoning from the broader Chicken Salad basket if you already purchased them, but the $3.32 costing uses only the four ingredients listed for this recipe. That keeps the math transparent and helps you decide whether the extra flavour is worth the added cost.

Ingredients with Prices

The Cottage Cheese Pepper Salad uses a short ingredient list. Nordica Cottage Cheese, Fat Free costs $4.99 at Independent and supplies the creamy base. Mixed Bell Peppers cost $9.69 at Costco, Celery Sticks cost $5.49 at FreshCo, and Red Onions cost $12.99 at FreshCo. Together, those four items total $33.16, which divided by 10 servings produces the $3.32 per-serving figure.

The red onions are the most expensive ingredient in this smaller recipe, so your taste preferences matter. If you enjoy a sharper salad, the $12.99 red onion line adds structure and flavour. If you prefer a milder bowl, you could use less onion in practice, but the recipe costing includes the full listed price because the data set provides item-level prices rather than partial household usage. For a reader comparing cheapest recipes, that full-cost approach is more conservative and easier to verify.

Source: eezly real-time price tracking, as of June 2026

Basket Index: BC Ingredient Prices by Store

The BC basket index shows that Independent is the cheapest listed source for the chicken and dairy items in this article, while FreshCo, Costco, and CHALO! FreshCo 120 St & 72 Ave supply the main vegetables and flavouring ingredients. Independent offers Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast at $24.49, while FreshCo lists Red Onions at $12.99 and Costco lists Mixed Bell Peppers at $9.69. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

You should use this table as a planning map before you build your grocery list. The purpose is not to suggest that every household should make four stops for one recipe; rather, it shows where each ingredient is priced lowest in the provided BC data. If you already shop at one of these stores, you can prioritize the items where that store is strongest. If you want the strict lowest-cost basket, you can split the shop and use the store-by-store breakdown.

Source: eezly real-time price tracking, as of June 2026

Top Priced Opportunities for These Cheap Dinner Recipes

The lowest-priced item in this BC recipe basket is Club House Salads 'N Dips Ranch Style 28 g at $1.79 from CHALO! FreshCo 120 St & 72 Ave, while Greek Yogurt, Plain is $2.79 at Independent and Real Lemon Juice Lemon 945 ml is $3.99 at CHALO! FreshCo 120 St & 72 Ave. These lower-cost flavour and dressing items help stretch the more expensive protein and vegetable purchases across multiple servings. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

Because the provided data contains current prices but not regular-price fields, the savings percentage column is marked as not listed rather than estimated. That is important for accuracy: you can compare the real prices side by side, but you should not rely on invented “regular” prices to judge whether an item is on promotion. For your shopping decision, the actionable point is still clear. The lowest absolute prices in this basket are the ranch seasoning, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, cottage cheese, and celery.

Source: eezly real-time price tracking, as of June 2026

Price Comparison Table

The cheapest recipe in this comparison is Cottage Cheese Pepper Salad at $3.32 per serving, followed by Yogurt Chicken Pepper Bowls at $4.65 per serving and Chicken Salad at $6.62 per serving. All three recipes are costed for 10 servings using real British Columbia ingredient prices from FreshCo, Independent, Costco, and CHALO! FreshCo 120 St & 72 Ave. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

You can use this table to choose the right recipe for your budget and appetite. If you want the lowest price, choose the cottage cheese salad. If you want chicken but still want to stay below $5 per serving, choose the yogurt chicken pepper bowls. If you want the most complete version with chicken, cottage cheese, yogurt, lemon juice, ranch seasoning, celery, peppers, and onions, choose the full Chicken Salad.

Source: eezly real-time price tracking, as of June 2026

How to Shop These Recipes in British Columbia

Your best strategy is to decide whether you are optimizing for the lowest item-level price or the simplest grocery trip. If you are optimizing for price, Independent is the priority stop for Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast at $24.49, Greek Yogurt at $2.79, and Nordica Cottage Cheese at $4.99. FreshCo matters for Red Onions at $12.99 and Celery Sticks at $5.49, while Costco has Mixed Bell Peppers at $9.69 and CHALO! FreshCo 120 St & 72 Ave has the lemon juice and ranch seasoning. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

If you are optimizing for time, choose the recipe that matches the store you already plan to visit. For example, if you are going to Independent, the Yogurt Chicken Pepper Bowls are easier to start because the chicken and yogurt are both listed there. If you are already shopping at FreshCo, the vegetable-heavy salad components become more convenient. If Costco is part of your regular BC grocery route, the $9.69 Mixed Bell Peppers can be used across all three recipes, which helps you plan multiple meals from one purchase.

You should also think about leftovers before choosing the recipe. The Chicken Salad costs more at $6.62 per serving, but it is the most complete prepared meal and can cover lunches as well as dinners. The Yogurt Chicken Pepper Bowls at $4.65 per serving are the best compromise when you want chicken without the full ingredient cost. The Cottage Cheese Pepper Salad at $3.32 per serving is the cheapest option, especially when you need a cold meal that does not require cooking chicken.

Why Ingredient-Level Costing Matters for Cheap Dinner Recipes

Ingredient-level costing shows you why two recipes that look similar can have very different per-serving prices. In this BC data set, the presence or absence of Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast at $24.49 is the biggest difference between the $6.62 Chicken Salad and the $3.32 Cottage Cheese Pepper Salad. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

When you price the recipe as a basket, you can make practical substitutions instead of guessing. You can keep the yogurt and lemon dressing but remove cottage cheese to lower the cost. You can keep the peppers and celery but remove chicken to create a lighter salad. You can also decide that the full Chicken Salad is worth the higher cost because it provides a more complete dinner and a larger protein component.

This is where AI-powered grocery price comparison is useful for weekly meal planning. Instead of building a menu first and discovering the cost at checkout, you can start with real store prices and then choose the recipe that fits your budget. For British Columbia households comparing Costco, FreshCo, Independent, CHALO! FreshCo, No Frills, Real Canadian Superstore, Safeway, Sobeys, Walmart, Wholesale Club, Your Independent Grocer, IGA, and Loblaws, current price visibility helps you decide whether a recipe belongs in this week’s plan.