As Mardi Gras is fast approaching, I thought I would share my recipe for jambalaya. It is a single pot recipe, and will require a large, heavy pot. I also tend not to measure things out, and rather just taste often and adjust accordingly. This recipe will fed up to 10 people, possibly more, so scale accordingly if you are feeding just a few, unless you want tons of leftovers (depending on how it is stored and reheated jambalaya can be even better the next day, or it can end up an unappealing bowl of mush). I tend to prep for the next step as I cook the current step, and also enlist family members to help me prep as I cook. If you are prepping everything ahead of time, try having a beer between steps, or turn the heat up a notch or two. Just don't forget to stir constantly after the onions are added.
Start with enough olive oil to just cover the bottom of the pot, and set to medium heat. Add two or three large garlic cloves, minced, and cook until the garlic is getting very fragrant (usually just enough time to prepare the onion for the next step). Add one large white onion, chopped, and cook until the onion is translucent.
Add 2-3 pounds of uncooked chicken, cut into 1 inch pieces or smaller. Cook until the chicken is done.
Add 2-3 bell peppers, diced (I tend to use a variety of bell pepper colors, green, yellow, red, and/or orange to give the jambalaya a more festive look, but green peppers alone will do fine). Add 3-4 celery stalks, chopped.
Add two large diced tomatoes, and 1 or two diced hot peppers (cayenne is traditional, but if you prefer it a bit spicier, go for some habeneros), you can use two cans of Rotel here, instead of the tomatoes and hot peppers, if you want to save some prep time.
Add 2 pounds of andouille sausage, cut into 1 inch pieces (if you can't find andouille, kielbasa will do in a pinch, but is not recommended).
Now is time to start adding spices (all measures are approximate, as I don't actually measure them out), 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika, 1/2 teaspoon dry oregano, 1/2 teaspoon dry thyme, 1 teaspoon cajun or creole seasoning, 1 teaspoon chili powder. Give it a good stir, put a lid on it, and let it simmer for a few minutes while you have a beer (just make sure you stir every minute or so), most of the hard work is done at this point.
Now (before adding rice) is an important time to taste the jambalaya, and add more spices if needed, I usually have to throw in a dash of dried cayenne pepper at the very least. Once you have the spices right, toss 3 cups white rice into the pot, and add about the same amount of chicken stock (there should be just enough chicken stock to cover all of the other ingredients, so add more if necessary). Turn the heat up to high, and bring to a boil. Cover and drop the heat to medium-low, cook for about 15-20 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed, and the rice is done, you may have to add more chicken stock, or some water if the liquid is absorbed, and the rice is still crunchy. Also, make sure you are stirring every few minutes, to keep the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Jambalaya should be moist, and not soupy, but err on the side of more liquid in the pot, as you can always bring the heat up to medium and keep it cooking uncovered to get the consistency you like.
Taste the pot again, the addition of rice and chicken stock will have diminished the spices, so you are probably going to need to add a little more here, and give it another good stir. Let it cook uncovered for another 5-10 minutes, stirring and tasting occasionally, while having another beer. The intent here is to get the entire house smelling like jambalaya, and your friends/family drooling in anticipation. Serve piping hot with a nice baguette or two for dipping.
Jambalaya purists will note that there is no shellfish in my recipe. The reason is simple, my daughter won't eat shellfish, so I don't use it. On the rare occasions when she is not home, I reduce the chicken by a pound or so, and add in that much peeled shrimp, and a couple of bay leaves just before adding the sausage. I understand that crawfish can be used in the same proportion, but I have never tried it myself. Some people also like to use chopped ham as well, so feel free to toss some in the pot before adding the rice, after having reduced your other meats proportionally.
Not sure if I have chillies in the fridge though... if not, I believe we have some in the freezer. 
