Newfoundland and Labrador Budget Meals at $6.07 per Serving

Key Facts

• Barbecued Chicken costs $48.54 total and $6.07 per serving for 8 servings (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, May 2026)
• Quarter Chicken, Dark Meat is $1.99 at Dominion (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, May 2026)
• Hot Pepper Sauce, Small is $1.59 at Dominion (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, May 2026)
• Shallots Onions are $7.69 at Foodland (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, May 2026)
• Brown Sugar is $13.99 at Dominion (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, May 2026)

For source context, 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.

Introduction

Barbecued Chicken is the strongest fully priced cheap dinner recipe in this Newfoundland and Labrador basket at $6.07 per serving. The full recipe costs $48.54 for 8 servings, which makes it useful when you want a family-style dinner that can also create leftovers for lunches. Because the basket uses real prices from Dominion and Foodland, you can treat the $6.07 figure as a practical benchmark for cheap dinner recipes under $8 per serving in Newfoundland and Labrador.

This guide also shows you two smaller chicken-based dinner variations built from the same priced ingredients: Spicy Hot Pepper Chicken Quarters at $4.77 per serving and Sweet-and-Savoury Shallot Chicken at $7.87 per serving. Those two variations are calculated from the listed ingredient prices and serving counts shown below, so you can compare how different sauce choices affect your total bill. If your goal is to build budget meals in Newfoundland and Labrador without guessing, the clearest strategy is to start with the lowest-priced protein line, Quarter Chicken, Dark Meat at $1.99 at Dominion, and then choose seasonings carefully.

Recipe 1: Barbecued Chicken — $6.07 per serving

Barbecued Chicken costs $48.54 total for 8 servings, or $6.07 per serving, using May 2026 Newfoundland and Labrador ingredient prices. This is the main fully priced recipe in the data, and it combines Quarter Chicken, Dark Meat from Dominion with shallots, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, pepper, hot sauce, chili powder, and a buffalo chicken stick. For your grocery planning, the key point is that this recipe spreads several pantry-style sauce ingredients across 8 servings, which helps keep the per-serving cost moderate even though the total basket includes higher-priced items such as brown sugar at $13.99 and black pepper at $8.99.

You should view this recipe as a good option when you are cooking for several people or deliberately planning leftovers. The total cost is higher than the two smaller dinner variations in this guide, but the 8-serving yield brings the meal down to $6.07 per plate. If you are trying to compare the cheapest recipes for a Newfoundland and Labrador household, this recipe gives you the best balance of complete flavour profile, larger serving count, and real grocery pricing from Dominion and Foodland.

Ingredients with Prices

The Barbecued Chicken basket totals $48.54, and each ingredient below comes directly from the May 2026 Newfoundland and Labrador price data. Dominion supplies most of the listed ingredients, including the chicken, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, black pepper, hot sauce, chili powder, and buffalo chicken stick. Foodland is the listed store for shallots onions at $7.69, which means your lowest-priced basket is split across at least two banners in this data set.

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

The arithmetic for the full basket is straightforward: $1.99 + $7.69 + $4.29 + $3.50 + $13.99 + $8.99 + $1.59 + $3.50 + $3.00 = $48.54. Dividing that total by 8 servings produces a per-serving cost of $6.07 after rounding. That makes Barbecued Chicken a realistic benchmark for “cheap dinner recipes under $8” searches in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Where to Buy Cheapest

Dominion is the most important store for this recipe because it carries 8 of the 9 priced ingredients in the basket. Dominion offers Quarter Chicken, Dark Meat at $1.99, Hot Pepper Sauce, Small at $1.59, and Chicken Stick Buffalo at $3.00, which are the three lowest-priced components in the full recipe. Foodland offers Shallots Onions at $7.69, so if you want the exact lowest-priced basket reflected in the data, you would buy the shallots at Foodland and the remaining listed items at Dominion.

Dominion offers Brown Sugar at $13.99, while Foodland offers Shallots Onions at $7.69 — the brown sugar line is $6.30 higher than the shallots line in this recipe basket, based on eezly data for May 2026. You should not interpret that as a direct substitute comparison, but it does show why pantry staples can drive the total cost of a dinner recipe. If you already have brown sugar, black pepper, chili powder, or Worcestershire sauce at home, your out-of-pocket checkout cost for this dinner could be lower than the full $48.54 basket price.

Recipe 2: Spicy Hot Pepper Chicken Quarters — $4.77 per serving

Spicy Hot Pepper Chicken Quarters costs $19.07 total for 4 servings, or $4.77 per serving, using only the priced items available in the May 2026 Newfoundland and Labrador data. This recipe variation is built around Quarter Chicken, Dark Meat at $1.99 at Dominion, Hot Pepper Sauce, Small at $1.59 at Dominion, Chili Powder at $3.50 at Dominion, Black Pepper at $8.99 at Dominion, and Chicken Stick Buffalo at $3.00 at Dominion. Because every listed ingredient in this variation is priced at Dominion, it is the simplest basket in this guide if you prefer a one-store shop.

This is the lowest-cost dinner idea in the article on a per-serving basis. At $4.77 per serving, it is $1.30 cheaper per serving than the fully priced Barbecued Chicken recipe at $6.07 per serving. For a 4-serving dinner, that difference equals $5.20 across the meal when comparing the per-serving prices, which is useful if your priority is keeping a weeknight chicken dinner below $5 per plate.

Ingredients with Prices

The key reason this variation stays under $5 per serving is that it avoids the two costliest lines in the full Barbecued Chicken basket: Brown Sugar at $13.99 and Shallots Onions at $7.69. Instead, it relies on a hot-sauce and chili-powder flavour profile. You still have Black Pepper at $8.99 in the basket, but the total remains lower because the ingredient list is shorter.

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

The total is $19.07, calculated as $1.99 + $1.59 + $3.50 + $8.99 + $3.00. Dividing $19.07 by 4 servings gives you $4.77 per serving after rounding. If you are searching for budget meals in Newfoundland and Labrador that use chicken without requiring a long list of condiments, this is the most economical recipe variation in the basket.

Where to Buy Cheapest

Dominion is the cheapest listed source for every priced ingredient in this spicy chicken variation. Dominion offers Hot Pepper Sauce, Small at $1.59 and Quarter Chicken, Dark Meat at $1.99, which together account for only $3.58 of the total basket. Dominion also carries Chili Powder at $3.50, Chicken Stick Buffalo at $3.00, and Black Pepper at $8.99, giving you a complete priced basket from one banner.

Dominion offers Hot Pepper Sauce, Small at $1.59, while Black Pepper at Dominion is $8.99 — the hot sauce costs $7.40 less than the pepper line in this specific basket. That comparison matters because it shows you where the recipe cost is concentrated. If your pantry already includes black pepper, you can focus your shopping on the lower-priced chicken and hot-sauce items instead of buying every line at once.

Recipe 3: Sweet-and-Savoury Shallot Chicken — $7.87 per serving

Sweet-and-Savoury Shallot Chicken costs $31.46 total for 4 servings, or $7.87 per serving, based on the May 2026 Newfoundland and Labrador ingredient prices. This variation uses Quarter Chicken, Dark Meat at $1.99 from Dominion, Shallots Onions at $7.69 from Foodland, Rice Vinegar at $4.29 from Dominion, Worcestershire Sauce at $3.50 from Dominion, and Brown Sugar at $13.99 from Dominion. It is the highest per-serving dinner in this guide, but it remains under $8 per serving.

You should choose this recipe when you want a sweeter, more savoury sauce profile and are comfortable with a slightly higher per-serving cost. The main reason the cost rises is the inclusion of Brown Sugar at $13.99 and Shallots Onions at $7.69. Together, those two ingredients account for $21.68 of the $31.46 basket, which means they represent most of the recipe’s cost.

Ingredients with Prices

This recipe variation shows how quickly a budget chicken dinner can move from under $5 per serving to nearly $8 per serving when you add sweeter sauce components. The chicken itself remains low at $1.99 at Dominion, but the sauce basket is more expensive. You get a fuller barbecue-style flavour base, yet your total basket becomes less lean than the spicy version.

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

The total is $31.46, calculated as $1.99 + $7.69 + $4.29 + $3.50 + $13.99. Dividing $31.46 by 4 servings gives you $7.87 per serving after rounding. If you are comparing cheap dinner recipes under $8, this one still qualifies, but it is best for nights when flavour variety matters more than achieving the lowest possible price.

Where to Buy Cheapest

Dominion is again the main store for this recipe, with four of the five priced ingredients listed there. You would buy Quarter Chicken, Dark Meat for $1.99, Rice Vinegar for $4.29, Worcestershire Sauce for $3.50, and Brown Sugar for $13.99 at Dominion. Foodland is the listed source for Shallots Onions at $7.69.

Dominion offers Worcestershire Sauce at $3.50, while Foodland lists Shallots Onions at $7.69 — a difference of $4.19 within this recipe basket. You should pay close attention to the shallots and brown sugar if your goal is to reduce the bill, because those two lines dominate the basket. If you already have a sweetener at home, you may be able to turn this into a lower-checkout-cost dinner without changing the chicken base.

Newfoundland and Labrador Basket Index: Key Ingredient Prices

The lowest-priced item in this Newfoundland and Labrador dinner basket is Hot Pepper Sauce, Small at $1.59 at Dominion, while the highest-priced listed item is Brown Sugar at $13.99 at Dominion. This basket index is useful because it shows you which ingredients are driving the cost of the recipes before you decide what to cook. If you are building budget meals in Newfoundland and Labrador, you should start your planning with the chicken and sauce items that deliver the most flavour for the lowest listed price.

The table below compares 8 staple-style ingredients used across the three dinner ideas. It is not a chain-wide store ranking; it is an ingredient-level basket based on the actual store names and prices available in the May 2026 data. That distinction matters because your cheapest practical dinner may come from choosing a shorter ingredient list rather than chasing one item at a time.

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

For your shopping list, the most budget-sensitive decision is whether you need the higher-priced pantry items immediately. Quarter Chicken, Dark Meat at $1.99 and Hot Pepper Sauce, Small at $1.59 create the base for the cheapest recipe variation, while Brown Sugar at $13.99 and Black Pepper at $8.99 raise the basket cost. You can use this table to decide whether you want the full Barbecued Chicken recipe or a simpler chicken dinner that keeps the checkout total lower.

Top Current Price Finds for Cheap Chicken Dinners

Dominion has the strongest cluster of low-priced current finds in this recipe set, including Hot Pepper Sauce, Small at $1.59, Quarter Chicken, Dark Meat at $1.99, and Chicken Stick Buffalo at $3.00. These are not presented as sale-versus-regular discounts because the provided May 2026 source data does not include regular prices for these lines. Instead, the table ranks the best current recipe-building prices available from the basket so you can identify the lowest-cost dinner inputs quickly.

If you are trying to cook the cheapest recipes from this list, prioritize the first three rows of the table. Those items help build the $4.77-per-serving Spicy Hot Pepper Chicken Quarters recipe. If you add the more expensive pantry items, your meal may still be budget-friendly, but the per-serving cost moves closer to the $6.07 to $7.87 range.

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

This ranking shows why the cheapest dinner is not always the recipe with the longest ingredient list. You get the lowest per-serving result when you combine the $1.99 chicken line with a small number of lower-priced flavour builders. You move into a higher-cost recipe when you add shallots, brown sugar, and black pepper in the same basket.

Price Comparison Table: All Recipes Side by Side

Spicy Hot Pepper Chicken Quarters is the cheapest recipe in this guide at $4.77 per serving, followed by Barbecued Chicken at $6.07 per serving and Sweet-and-Savoury Shallot Chicken at $7.87 per serving. The difference between the cheapest and highest-cost recipe is $3.10 per serving, which is meaningful if you are cooking for four people or more. For a 4-serving meal, that per-serving gap represents $12.40 across the dinner.

The comparison table below gives you the clearest view of how recipe structure affects cost. The full Barbecued Chicken recipe has the highest total cost at $48.54, but it serves 8, which keeps the per-serving figure below the Sweet-and-Savoury Shallot Chicken variation. The spicy chicken variation has the lowest total and lowest per-serving cost because it avoids the costliest sweet and savoury sauce ingredients.

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

If your main goal is the lowest dinner cost, you should choose Spicy Hot Pepper Chicken Quarters. If your goal is a fuller barbecue-style meal for a larger table, Barbecued Chicken is the more complete option at $6.07 per serving. If you want a sweeter sauce with shallots and vinegar, Sweet-and-Savoury Shallot Chicken is still under $8 per serving, but you should expect the highest cost of the three.

How to Use These Prices in a Newfoundland and Labrador Grocery Plan

The most practical way to use this guide is to pick your recipe first, then buy only the ingredients that support that dinner. In Newfoundland and Labrador, the active grocery banners in the province include Costco, Dominion, Foodland, No Frills, Sobeys, Walmart, Your Independent Grocer, and Wholesale Club, but the specific prices in this recipe basket are from Dominion and Foodland. If you are comparing budget meals, you should use the listed Dominion and Foodland prices as your baseline before checking whether another nearby banner has a better current price.

You can also make your grocery plan more efficient by separating one-time pantry purchases from true dinner-specific costs. Brown Sugar at $13.99, Black Pepper at $8.99, Rice Vinegar at $4.29, Worcestershire Sauce at $3.50, and Chili Powder at $3.50 may last beyond one meal. The recipe costing in this article uses the full listed prices because that is the cleanest way to compare baskets, but your future per-meal cost can fall once those ingredients are already in your kitchen.

For ongoing comparison, you can review current grocery deals at https://eezly.com/deals, build meal ideas at https://eezly.com/meal-plans, and browse more recipe inspiration at https://eezly.com/recipes. If you want broader grocery guidance, https://eezly.com/blog is a useful place to compare food prices and shopping strategies. These links help you move from one recipe basket to a wider weekly plan without losing sight of real prices.

What This Means for Cheap Dinner Recipes Under $8

All three dinner ideas in this guide come in under $8 per serving, with prices ranging from $4.77 to $7.87 per serving. That makes the basket especially relevant for searches such as “cheap dinner recipes under $8,” “budget meals Newfoundland and Labrador,” and “cheapest recipes with chicken.” The lowest-cost choice is the spicy chicken variation, while the best larger-format recipe is the 8-serving Barbecued Chicken at $6.07 per serving.

You should also look at the difference between total cost and cost per serving. Barbecued Chicken has the highest total at $48.54, but because it serves 8, it is cheaper per serving than the $31.46 Sweet-and-Savoury Shallot Chicken variation. If you are feeding a larger household, that serving count can matter more than the checkout total alone.

The clearest budget strategy is to build around Quarter Chicken, Dark Meat at $1.99 at Dominion and then decide how much you want to spend on sauce ingredients. A hot-sauce profile keeps the recipe lean at $4.77 per serving. A sweeter barbecue profile increases the basket, but it can still stay below $8 per serving when the recipe is structured carefully.