Abstract:To investigate the differential effects of unfermented tea (green tea), semi-fermented tea (Tieguanyin), fully fermented tea (black tea), and spices on the quality of savory chicken, sensory evaluation, electronic tongue, electronic nose, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS), taste-active amino acids, and free fatty acid analyses were conducted to elucidate the improvement effects of tea and spices on flavor quality. Sensory evaluation and electronic tongue results indicated that the addition of both tea and spices significantly enhanced the flavor quality of savory chicken. Electronic nose analysis revealed that the spice group was most influenced by W1W (sulfur compounds and terpenes) and W5S (nitrogen oxides), followed by the black tea, Tieguanyin, and green tea groups. GC–MS analysis revealed that the main volatile components in the spice group were hydrocarbons including anethole, trans-cinnamaldehyde, (+)-limonene, allyl methyl ether, and α-pinene, which were consistent with the electronic nose results. Compared with other tea groups, the black tea group possessed a greater variety and higher contents of alcohols, aldehydes, acids, ketones, and other compounds, reaching 186.5, 600.13, 145.5, 129.79, and 193.39 ng·g-1, respectively. In terms of taste-active amino acids and free fatty acids, the black tea group exhibited the highest total amino acid and total fatty acid contents, at 25.10 g/100 g and 5293.55 mg/100 g, respectively. In contrast, the spice group contained a total free amino acid content of 24.23 g/100 g but the lowest total fatty acid content (902.68 mg/100 g), followed by the green tea and Tieguanyin groups. In conclusion, the addition of tea and spices increased the content of taste-active substances and enriched the volatile flavor compounds, thereby enhancing the quality of savory chicken. Among the treatments, the black tea group demonstrated the most pronounced effect, followed by the spice group, providing a theoretical basis for flavor optimization and quality regulation of savory chicken.