Heat oil over medium-high in a large pot or dutch oven.
Season chicken with salt and pepper
Brown chicken on all sides, in batches, and remove to a plate. (About 5 minutes per batch)
Reduce heat to medium-low and add onions, sage, ginger and garlic to the pan.
Cook stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes
Turn heat up to medium and add rutabaga, parsnips, and carrots to the pan
Cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally
Sprinkle the veggies with flour and stir to coat, cooking for 1 minute
Stir in apple juice and stock, continuing to stir until thickened and smooth.
Stir in thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, and chicken
Reduce heat and allow it to simmer until vegetables are tender about 30 minutes.
Add apple slices and cook for a further 5 minutes
Taste and adjust salt & pepper if required
Remove from heat and serve hot, garnished with parsley
Notes
Boneless, skinless chicken thighs can be used in place of the chicken breast, and you could also substitute cubed pork loin in this recipe.This recipe is using sodium reduced chicken stock. If you use a higher salt stock, you may not want to add more salt.Slow Cooker Version: Omit the oil. Put all ingredients except flour, apple juice and stock in the slow cooker and cook on low 5-8 hours, depending on your slow cooker. Reduce stock to ½ cup.At the end of cooking time, whisk together flour, apple juice and stock until smooth. Stir gravy into chicken & vegetable mixture, and heat on high until gravy has thickened.