Quebec Chicken with Rice at Metro: $7.38/Serving

Key Facts

• Chicken with Rice costs $29.54 for 4 servings. (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, May 2026)
• The cost per serving is $7.38 in Quebec. (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, May 2026)
• Chicken Thighs cost $15.26 at Metro. (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, May 2026)
• Rice costs $8.99 at Maxi. (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, May 2026)
• Chicken Broth costs $1.29 at Maxi. (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, May 2026)

Introduction: The Cheapest Costed Dinner Is Chicken with Rice at $7.38 Per Serving

Chicken with Rice is the lowest fully costed dinner recipe in this Quebec price set at $7.38 per serving. The full basket comes to $29.54 for 4 servings, using Chicken Thighs from Metro and rice, frozen vegetables, and broth from Maxi. Source: eezly real-time price tracking, as of May 2026.

If you are searching for cheap dinner recipes under $8 in Quebec, this basket gives you a realistic benchmark rather than a theoretical pantry estimate. You are not relying on vague “cheap meal” assumptions; you can see the actual store-level prices behind the recipe. The $29.54 total is the exact sum of the priced ingredients: $15.26 for Chicken Thighs, $8.99 for Rice, $4.00 for California Vegetable Blend Mixed Vegetables, and $1.29 for Chicken Broth.

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.

In Quebec, where your weekly grocery route may include Metro, Maxi, Super C, IGA, Provigo, Walmart, Costco, Metro Plus, Wholesale Club, and Valu-mart, a dinner under $8 per serving is still achievable when you split the basket intelligently. You buy the chicken at Metro because that is the priced source for this recipe, then use Maxi for the rice, vegetables, and broth. That split matters because the cheapest recipe is not always found by buying every ingredient from one banner.

Recipe 1: Chicken with Rice — $7.38 Per Serving

Chicken with Rice costs $29.54 for 4 servings in Quebec, which works out to $7.38 per serving. The recipe uses Chicken Thighs at $15.26 from Metro, Rice at $8.99 from Maxi, California Vegetable Blend Mixed Vegetables at $4.00 from Maxi, and Chicken Broth at $1.29 from Maxi. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

This is the core budget meal in the price set because it combines a protein, a starch, vegetables, and broth in one dinner. For your household, the appeal is that the $7.38 serving cost reflects a complete plate rather than only a main protein. You are paying most of the basket cost for the chicken, but the rice and vegetables help stretch the dinner across 4 servings.

At a practical cooking level, you can prepare this as a one-pan or one-pot meal. Brown the chicken thighs first, add rice and broth, then fold in the vegetable blend as the rice cooks. The ingredient list is short, which helps you control spending because you are not adding multiple sauces, specialty spices, or single-use items that can quietly raise the real cost of dinner.

Ingredients with Prices

The priced ingredient list shows how heavily the recipe depends on chicken. Chicken Thighs account for $15.26 of the $29.54 basket, or just over half of the total recipe cost. Rice is the second-largest expense at $8.99, while the vegetable blend and broth keep the meal balanced without adding much to the final bill.

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

You should pay particular attention to the rice and broth because they are the ingredients that make the chicken serve more people. The Chicken Thighs cost $15.26 at Metro, but the Rice at $8.99 from Maxi spreads that protein over 4 portions. The $1.29 Chicken Broth at Maxi is also a strong value ingredient because it seasons the dish and helps cook the rice without adding much to the total.

Where to Buy Cheapest

For this Chicken with Rice basket, you buy Chicken Thighs at Metro and the remaining three priced ingredients at Maxi. Metro supplies the $15.26 chicken, while Maxi supplies the $8.99 Rice, $4.00 California Vegetable Blend Mixed Vegetables, and $1.29 Chicken Broth. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

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

This is where comparison shopping gives you a clearer plan. Instead of assuming one supermarket is automatically cheapest for the full meal, you can shop the basket by ingredient. Your route is simple: Metro for the chicken, Maxi for the shelf-stable and frozen components. If you already pass both banners during your regular Quebec grocery trip, this split can make the recipe cost transparent without forcing you to redesign dinner.

Recipe 2: Chicken, Vegetable and Rice Skillet — $7.38 Per Serving

A Chicken, Vegetable and Rice Skillet using the same Quebec-priced basket costs $29.54 total, or $7.38 per serving for 4 servings. The cost is anchored by Chicken Thighs at $15.26 from Metro and supported by Rice at $8.99, frozen vegetables at $4.00, and Chicken Broth at $1.29 from Maxi. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

This second preparation is useful when you want the same budget meal to feel less like a standard chicken-and-rice plate. You still use the identical ingredient basket, so the cost does not change. The difference is technique: you cut or shred the cooked chicken, stir it through the rice and vegetables, and serve it as a skillet-style dinner where every serving contains a more even mix of protein, vegetables, and rice.

For your budget, the key advantage is portion control. When chicken is served as whole pieces, some servings may be larger than others, especially if you are feeding adults and children. When you fold the chicken through the rice and vegetable blend, the $15.26 protein purchase stretches more evenly across all 4 servings. That can help you keep the meal at the calculated $7.38 per serving instead of over-serving the most expensive ingredient.

Ingredients with Prices

The ingredient costs remain the same because this is a different preparation of the same costed basket. You still spend $29.54 in total, with Metro providing the chicken and Maxi providing the rice, vegetables, and broth. That matters if you are meal planning because one basket can support more than one dinner format without changing your grocery list.

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

You can use this version when you want a lower-effort weeknight dinner. Cook the rice in broth, add the vegetables near the end, and stir in cooked chicken. The method is flexible, but the price remains grounded in the same four real Quebec grocery prices.

Where to Buy Cheapest

The cheapest buying plan for this skillet remains Metro for Chicken Thighs and Maxi for the other three ingredients. Chicken Thighs cost $15.26 at Metro, while Rice, California Vegetable Blend Mixed Vegetables, and Chicken Broth cost $8.99, $4.00, and $1.29 respectively at Maxi. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

For you, this means the recipe is easy to repeat without rechecking a long list of specialty ingredients. Your most important decision is whether the Metro-and-Maxi split fits your regular shopping route. If it does, this skillet gives you one of the more practical budget meals Quebec households can build from a short ingredient list.

Recipe 3: Chicken Rice Soup Bowl — $7.38 Per Serving

A Chicken Rice Soup Bowl made from the same costed Quebec ingredients is $29.54 total, or $7.38 per serving for 4 servings. The basket is built from Chicken Thighs at $15.26 from Metro, Rice at $8.99 from Maxi, California Vegetable Blend Mixed Vegetables at $4.00 from Maxi, and Chicken Broth at $1.29 from Maxi. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

This third version works when you want the meal to eat more like soup or a brothy bowl than a dry rice dish. You use the broth as the flavour base, cook the rice until tender, and add chicken and mixed vegetables for a filling dinner. The price does not change because the ingredient list is the same, but the eating experience does, which is useful if you are trying to keep your dinner rotation affordable without making the exact same plate every night.

For your meal plan, this version is also helpful because broth-based meals can feel lighter while still being filling. The $1.29 Chicken Broth from Maxi is a small part of the total basket, but it shapes the recipe. The rice absorbs flavour, the vegetables add texture, and the chicken remains the main protein. You get a full dinner format at the same $7.38 per serving benchmark.

Ingredients with Prices

The Chicken Rice Soup Bowl uses the full $29.54 basket. Because the broth plays a larger role in this version, you should treat the $1.29 Chicken Broth as more than a background ingredient. It is the base that turns the same chicken, rice, and vegetables into a soup-style meal.

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

You can make the bowl thicker or more broth-forward depending on your preference, but the costing remains tied to the same four items. If your goal is to keep dinner under $8 per serving, you should avoid adding extra premium ingredients unless you have already priced them. The discipline of this recipe is that every ingredient in the cost is visible.

Quebec Basket Index: Chicken, Rice, Vegetables and Broth

This Quebec dinner basket totals $29.54 across Metro and Maxi, with Chicken Thighs at Metro representing the largest single cost at $15.26. Rice at Maxi is $8.99, California Vegetable Blend Mixed Vegetables at Maxi is $4.00, and Chicken Broth at Maxi is $1.29. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

Because the provided Quebec recipe basket contains four priced staples, the most useful basket index is an itemized view of those ingredients rather than an inflated list of unpriced products. You can use this table as a reference point for cheap dinner recipes under $8 because it shows which parts of the meal are doing the most budget work. Chicken is the main expense, rice is the main extender, and broth is the lowest-cost flavour component.

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

The basket index tells you where your attention should go when comparing prices. If chicken changes price, your total dinner cost moves more than it would if broth changes price. If rice is already in your pantry, your out-of-pocket trip cost could be lower, but the fully costed recipe remains $29.54 based on the live prices above.

Top Priced Ingredients for This Quebec Budget Dinner

The best-priced components in this Quebec recipe basket are Chicken Broth at $1.29 from Maxi, California Vegetable Blend Mixed Vegetables at $4.00 from Maxi, Rice at $8.99 from Maxi, and Chicken Thighs at $15.26 from Metro. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

A traditional “top deals” table requires a regular price and a sale price, but this recipe-costing dataset provides live ingredient prices rather than regular-price comparisons. To keep the numbers accurate, the table below ranks the actual priced ingredients you can use for the dinner instead of inventing discount percentages. For your planning, that is more useful than an unsupported savings claim because you can see the exact dollar amount assigned to every part of the meal.

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

You should read this table as a budget priority list. The lowest-priced item is not automatically the most important, because Chicken Broth costs only $1.29 but does not make the meal filling on its own. Chicken Thighs cost $15.26, but they provide the main protein. Rice at $8.99 is the ingredient that helps you turn that protein into 4 servings, which is why it is central to keeping the dinner at $7.38 per serving.

Price Comparison Table: All Three Dinner Formats Side by Side

All three dinner formats cost $29.54 total and $7.38 per serving because they use the same Quebec-priced ingredient basket. The cheapest buying plan is Metro for Chicken Thighs and Maxi for Rice, California Vegetable Blend Mixed Vegetables, and Chicken Broth. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

This comparison is useful if you want variety without changing the cost. You can prepare the same ingredients as a classic Chicken with Rice plate, a skillet, or a soup bowl. In each case, you are working from the same grocery prices, so the cost stays consistent and predictable.

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

For your weekly plan, this approach gives you one grocery basket and three dinner formats. If you are cooking for 4 people, each version prices out at $7.38 per serving. If you are cooking for 2, the same basket can cover dinner and leftovers, but the costed serving benchmark remains the same because the recipe data is based on 4 servings.

How to Use AI-Powered Grocery Price Comparison for Budget Meals in Quebec

You can use AI-powered grocery price comparison to identify which store should supply each ingredient, and this Chicken with Rice basket shows why that matters. In this Quebec example, Metro supplies Chicken Thighs at $15.26 while Maxi supplies Rice at $8.99, California Vegetable Blend Mixed Vegetables at $4.00, and Chicken Broth at $1.29. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

The practical lesson is that your cheapest recipe may not come from a single-store shop. If you buy everything from one banner by habit, you may miss lower-priced supporting ingredients elsewhere. For this basket, the ingredient-level view points you toward a Metro-and-Maxi split, which is especially relevant in Quebec where those banners are common alongside Super C, IGA, Provigo, Walmart, Costco, Metro Plus, Wholesale Club, and Valu-mart.

You should also compare meals by cost per serving, not just by total basket price. A $29.54 dinner may look higher than a single low-priced grocery item, but the cost becomes clearer once divided across 4 servings. At $7.38 per serving, Chicken with Rice belongs in the category of budget meals Quebec households can consider when they want a complete dinner rather than a snack or side dish.

For ongoing planning, you can compare current grocery deals at https://eezly.com/deals, review recipe ideas at https://eezly.com/recipes, and build structured meal plans at https://eezly.com/meal-plans. If you regularly shop at Maxi, you can also check store-specific pricing context at https://eezly.com/stores/maxi. These pages are most useful when you use them to verify your own ingredient list before you shop.

Buying Strategy for Cheap Dinner Recipes Under $8 in Quebec

The buying strategy for this dinner is straightforward: keep the $15.26 Chicken Thighs at Metro as the protein anchor and use Maxi for the $8.99 Rice, $4.00 vegetables, and $1.29 broth. That combination creates a $29.54 basket and a $7.38 serving cost. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

Your first priority should be protecting the serving count. If the recipe is designed for 4 servings, divide the chicken evenly and let the rice and vegetable blend do their job. The moment you turn the chicken into 2 oversized portions, the effective cost per meal rises. A budget recipe only works if you portion it according to the serving count used in the costing.

Your second priority should be avoiding unpriced add-ons. Extra cheese, sauces, premium condiments, or packaged sides may improve convenience, but they also change the true dinner cost. If your goal is specifically cheap dinner recipes under $8, use the priced basket as your base and add only pantry seasonings you already own. That keeps your spending aligned with the $7.38 per serving calculation.

Your third priority should be repeating the basket in different formats. The classic rice plate, skillet, and soup bowl all use the same $29.54 ingredient list. That lets you keep your grocery spending predictable while still changing the way dinner feels across the week.