Abstract: To investigate the effects of stir-frying pretreatment on the flavor quality of stewed chicken with Armillaria mellea, three cooking methods were compared: stewed with water (SW), stir-fried and stewed (SFS), and stewed with oil (SO), using sensory evaluation, bionic sensing, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Sensory evaluation results indicated that the SFS group exhibited significantly higher umami intensity, aroma, and overall acceptability than the SW and SO groups (P<0.05). Electronic tongue and electronic nose analysis revealed distinct differences in taste and aroma profiles among the three cooking methods. Analysis of taste-related substances revealed that the stir-frying followed by stewing process significantly reduced the total content of bitter amino acids in the SFS group chicken (104.70 mg/100 g) compared to the SW and SO groups (P<0.05), while the glutamic acid content (114.22 mg/100 g) was significantly higher than that in the SW and SO groups (P<0.05). Additionally, this process promoted the generation of 5'-adenylic acid (1.32 times that of the SW group). EUC value analysis further confirmed that the umami taste of the SFS group's broth was significantly higher than that of the other groups (P<0.05), primarily due to the synergistic effect between glutamic acid and umami nucleotides. Analysis of total reducing sugars and organic acids indicated that stir-frying promoted the Maillard reaction and the accumulation of organic acids, particularly citric and succinic acids (P<0.05), enhancing the overall taste complexity. Inorganic salt analysis revealed that the Na⁺ and K⁺ content in the SFS group was moderate, further optimizing the savory balance of the dish. Analysis of volatile flavor compounds showed that the total volatile compound content in the SFS group reached 1332.34 μg/kg, reflecting a 71.42% increase compared to the SW group. Among these, the characteristic mushroom aroma component 1-octen-3-ol increased by 28.25% and 98.27% compared to the SW and SO groups, respectively. Based on the relative odor activity value (r-OAV) results, ten key flavor compounds were identified, with hexanal and 1-octen-3-ol contributing the most to the overall flavor profile. In summary, the stir-frying process positively influenced the sensory attributes and overall flavor of stewed chicken with Armillaria mellea. These findings provide a theoretical foundation for the industrialization, product development, and flavor enhancement of stewed chicken products.