Ontario Chicken with Rice at Foodbasics: $5.01/serving

Key Facts

• Chicken with Rice costs $20.03 for 4 servings (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, May 2026)
• Chicken with Rice is $5.01 per serving at Foodbasics (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, May 2026)
• Chicken Thighs are priced at $9.06 at Foodbasics (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, May 2026)
• Rice is priced at $2.49 at Fortinos (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, May 2026)
• Mixed vegetables are $5.49 at Fortinos (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, May 2026)

Introduction

Chicken with Rice is the featured cheap dinner recipe in Ontario at $20.03 total, or $5.01 per serving. The recipe uses four priced ingredients from Foodbasics and Fortinos: chicken thighs, rice, mixed vegetables, and chicken broth. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

If you are trying to keep weeknight dinners predictable, this meal works because it combines a protein, a starch, vegetables, and broth in one pot-style format without relying on specialty ingredients. You can also use the same grocery basket to build lower-cost variations, including a vegetable rice pilaf at $2.74 per serving and chicken-and-vegetable rice bowls at $4.26 per serving. That makes this ingredient set useful if you want cheap dinner recipes under $5.01 per serving in Ontario while still keeping the meal structure familiar.

The Ontario pricing in this article reflects available store-level data from Foodbasics and Fortinos, two banners that appear frequently in Ontario grocery shopping routines. The broader Ontario banner landscape also includes Costco, Foodland, FreshCo, Loblaws, Metro, No Frills, Real Canadian Superstore, Sobeys, Walmart, Wholesale Club, Your Independent Grocer, Zehrs, and other regional formats. For this recipe costing, however, the exact prices used below come only from the priced ingredients provided for Foodbasics and Fortinos.

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.

Recipe 1: Chicken with Rice — $5.01 per serving

Chicken with Rice costs $20.03 for four servings in Ontario, or $5.01 per serving. The lowest priced basket in this recipe uses Chicken Thighs and Chicken Broth from Foodbasics, plus Rice and California Vegetable Blend Mixed Vegetables from Fortinos. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

This is the most complete dinner of the three recipes because it includes all four priced ingredients. You get chicken thighs as the main protein, rice as the filling base, mixed vegetables for volume and texture, and chicken broth to cook the dish with more flavour than water alone. If your goal is to prepare one straightforward dinner for four people, this is the recipe that uses the full Ontario basket without leftovers assumed or unpriced pantry additions.

For your planning, the arithmetic is direct. Chicken Thighs cost $9.06 at Foodbasics, Rice costs $2.49 at Fortinos, California Vegetable Blend Mixed Vegetables cost $5.49 at Fortinos, and Chicken Broth costs $2.99 at Foodbasics. Added together, the total is $20.03, and divided by four servings, your cost is $5.01 per serving after rounding.

Ingredients with Prices

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

Where to Buy Cheapest

For this recipe, you should split the basket between Foodbasics and Fortinos if your goal is to match the lowest priced ingredient list. Foodbasics has the Chicken Thighs at $9.06 and Chicken Broth at $2.99, while Fortinos has Rice at $2.49 and California Vegetable Blend Mixed Vegetables at $5.49. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

That split matters because the chicken is the largest single cost in the recipe. At $9.06, Chicken Thighs account for almost half of the $20.03 dinner total. Your next-largest ingredient is the California Vegetable Blend Mixed Vegetables at $5.49, followed by Chicken Broth at $2.99 and Rice at $2.49. If you are comparing budget meals Ontario-wide, this recipe shows why checking the protein price first is often the most useful step.

For preparation, you can cook the rice in broth, add vegetables partway through, and cook the chicken separately or simmer it into the dish depending on your preferred texture. The price data does not include seasonings, oil, or pantry staples, so the recipe is best understood as a core grocery-cost estimate. Still, at $5.01 per serving, it gives you a reliable benchmark for cheap dinner recipes under $5.01 when you want a full protein-based meal.

Recipe 2: Vegetable Rice Pilaf with Broth — $2.74 per serving

Vegetable Rice Pilaf with Broth costs $10.97 for four servings in Ontario, or $2.74 per serving. This lower-cost recipe uses Rice at $2.49 from Fortinos, California Vegetable Blend Mixed Vegetables at $5.49 from Fortinos, and Chicken Broth at $2.99 from Foodbasics. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

This is the lowest-cost recipe in the comparison because it removes the $9.06 chicken component and keeps the filling starch, vegetables, and broth. You should consider it when you need a lighter dinner, a side dish that can stretch another protein, or a budget meal that stays well below the $5-per-serving level. It is not as protein-forward as Chicken with Rice, but it is a useful option if your immediate goal is to reduce the dinner bill.

The calculation is simple and uses only priced Ontario ingredients. Rice at $2.49 plus California Vegetable Blend Mixed Vegetables at $5.49 equals $7.98, and adding Chicken Broth at $2.99 brings the total to $10.97. Divided by four servings, your cost is $2.74 per serving after rounding. Compared with Chicken with Rice at $5.01 per serving, this pilaf is $2.27 less per serving.

Ingredients with Prices

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

Where to Buy Cheapest

For Vegetable Rice Pilaf with Broth, your cheapest ingredient route is Fortinos for the Rice and mixed vegetables, then Foodbasics for the broth. Fortinos carries the Rice in this priced basket at $2.49 and the California Vegetable Blend Mixed Vegetables at $5.49. Foodbasics carries the Chicken Broth at $2.99. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

This recipe is useful if you are planning several meals from one grocery trip. You can serve it as a main dish when the budget is tight, or you can pair it with another protein you already have at home. Because the total is $10.97 for four servings, it is the strongest option in this article for shoppers searching for cheapest recipes that still feel like a composed dinner rather than a snack.

From a grocery strategy perspective, this recipe also shows why a low-cost starch can anchor your meal plan. Rice is the least expensive individual ingredient in this basket at $2.49, while vegetables add most of the volume at $5.49. The broth, at $2.99, is optional from a culinary standpoint if you use water, but it is included here because it is part of the priced recipe basket and gives the dish more flavour.

Recipe 3: Chicken and Vegetable Rice Bowls — $4.26 per serving

Chicken and Vegetable Rice Bowls cost $17.04 for four servings in Ontario, or $4.26 per serving. This recipe uses Chicken Thighs at $9.06 from Foodbasics, Rice at $2.49 from Fortinos, and California Vegetable Blend Mixed Vegetables at $5.49 from Fortinos. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

This is the middle option between the full Chicken with Rice recipe and the lower-cost vegetable pilaf. You keep the chicken, rice, and vegetables, but you leave out the $2.99 Chicken Broth from Foodbasics. That brings the total down from $20.03 to $17.04 while still preserving the main dinner components most households expect: protein, starch, and vegetables.

The math is again based only on the live ingredient prices in the Ontario data. Chicken Thighs at $9.06 plus Rice at $2.49 equals $11.55, and adding California Vegetable Blend Mixed Vegetables at $5.49 brings the recipe total to $17.04. Dividing by four servings gives you $4.26 per serving. If you want cheap dinner recipes under $5.01 but still want chicken included, this is the strongest compromise.

Ingredients with Prices

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

Where to Buy Cheapest

For Chicken and Vegetable Rice Bowls, you should use Foodbasics for the Chicken Thighs and Fortinos for both the Rice and mixed vegetables. Foodbasics has Chicken Thighs at $9.06, while Fortinos has Rice at $2.49 and California Vegetable Blend Mixed Vegetables at $5.49. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

This recipe is particularly useful if you already have broth, bouillon, sauces, or seasonings at home and do not need to buy a separate carton of broth. Your grocery total drops by $2.99 compared with the full Chicken with Rice recipe. On a per-serving basis, you move from $5.01 to $4.26, which is a $0.75 reduction per serving.

For meal prep, you can cook the rice, portion the chicken thighs, and divide the vegetables across four containers. You can season each portion differently at home if you want variety without changing the core grocery bill. This makes the recipe a flexible choice for your weekly budget because the ingredient list is short and the price is easy to verify.

Ontario Basket Index for These Budget Meals

The Ontario basket for these recipes is anchored by four priced grocery items: Chicken Thighs at $9.06, Rice at $2.49, California Vegetable Blend Mixed Vegetables at $5.49, and Chicken Broth at $2.99. Your full basket totals $20.03 when all four items are purchased for Chicken with Rice. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

This basket index is not a generic grocery inflation index; it is a practical recipe-costing index for the exact ingredients used in these meals. It helps you see which components drive the cost of dinner and which ones help keep the recipe affordable. Chicken is the main cost driver, while rice is the lowest-priced ingredient in the set.

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

The most important takeaway is that your protein choice has the biggest effect on the final cost. When Chicken Thighs are included, the recipe totals either $17.04 without broth or $20.03 with broth. When the chicken is removed, the vegetable rice pilaf falls to $10.97 total. That difference is why you should compare chicken prices carefully when planning budget meals Ontario shoppers can repeat weekly.

Top Price-Verified Ingredients and Recipe Values

The top price-verified values in this Ontario recipe set are Rice at $2.49 from Fortinos, Chicken Broth at $2.99 from Foodbasics, and the Vegetable Rice Pilaf at $2.74 per serving. The full Chicken with Rice recipe remains the most complete dinner at $5.01 per serving. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

Because the available data provides current live prices rather than separate regular prices, the table below does not invent regular-price comparisons or savings percentages. Instead, it identifies the priced items and recipe values you can use for meal planning. This is the most accurate way to compare the basket without adding unsupported numbers.

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

For your own grocery trip, the most actionable comparison is not a discount percentage; it is the difference between recipe totals. Vegetable Rice Pilaf costs $10.97 for four servings, Chicken and Vegetable Rice Bowls cost $17.04, and Chicken with Rice costs $20.03. If you need the lowest dinner cost, choose the pilaf. If you want chicken included while staying under $5.01 per serving, choose the rice bowls. If you want the complete broth-based chicken dinner, choose the full Chicken with Rice recipe.

Price Comparison Table: All Recipes Side by Side

Vegetable Rice Pilaf is the cheapest recipe at $2.74 per serving, while Chicken with Rice is the most complete recipe at $5.01 per serving. Chicken and Vegetable Rice Bowls sit between them at $4.26 per serving. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

This side-by-side comparison gives you a practical way to choose dinner based on your budget and appetite. You do not need to change the entire shopping list; you can adjust the recipe by including or excluding chicken broth or chicken thighs. That flexibility is useful when your grocery budget changes from week to week.

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

The price gap between the cheapest and most expensive recipe is $9.06 total, which is exactly the price of the Chicken Thighs at Foodbasics. That shows you how much the protein choice matters in this particular basket. If you are cooking for four, the difference between the pilaf and the full chicken dinner is $2.27 per serving. If you are cooking repeatedly through the week, those per-serving differences become meaningful very quickly.

How to Use These Prices for an Ontario Grocery Plan

You can use this Ontario basket as a small meal plan by choosing one full chicken dinner and one lower-cost rice-based dinner from the same ingredient family. The strongest budget sequence is Chicken with Rice at $5.01 per serving followed by Vegetable Rice Pilaf at $2.74 per serving. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

The reason this works is that the recipes share a common structure. Rice and vegetables appear across all three meals, and chicken can be added or removed depending on your budget. If you are shopping at Foodbasics and Fortinos, you can prioritize the items with the clearest role: buy Chicken Thighs at Foodbasics when you want a protein-centred dinner, and buy Rice at Fortinos when you want the lowest-cost base.

You should also think in terms of serving cost rather than only the checkout total. A $20.03 dinner may sound high compared with a $10.97 dinner, but the serving cost tells you what each person’s plate costs. At $5.01 per serving, Chicken with Rice remains a budget-oriented dinner compared with many prepared or restaurant alternatives, while the $2.74 pilaf gives you a lower-cost option when you need to bring the average down.

For more comparison shopping and meal planning, you can review current grocery deals at https://eezly.com/deals, browse recipe ideas at https://eezly.com/recipes, or explore AI-assisted planning at https://eezly.com/meal-plans. If you want to keep following grocery price analysis, https://eezly.com/blog is the best place to continue reading.