The Annie Cafe & Bar Southwestern Grilled Chicken with Lime Butter Recipe
The Annie Café & Bar’s Southwestern Grilled Chicken with Lime Butter is a bold yet elegant dish, marrying smoky char and tender spice with a luxurious citrus-kissed butter that tastes like Texas sunshine on a plate.
Make this Straight-From-the-Restaurant The Annie Cafe & Bar Southwestern Grilled Chicken with Lime Butter Recipe at home and your Southwestern Grilled Chicken with Lime Butter will taste just like The Annie Cafe & Bar.

Photo by Kurman Communications LLC
The Annie Cafe & Bar Southwestern Grilled Chicken with Lime Butter
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Straight-From-the-Restaurant
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The Annie Cafe & Bar Southwestern Grilled Chicken with Lime Butter Recipe is a Straight-From-the-Restaurant Recipe.
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The Annie Café & Bar
The Annie Café & Bar, nestled in Houston’s Galleria district, traces its roots to Café Annie, the trail-blazing Southwestern restaurant Robert Del Grande opened in 1980, which helped define hyper-local Texas cuisine and earned Del Grande Houston’s first James Beard Award in 1992. After closing in 2009 and a stint as RDG + Bar Annie, it briefly reverted to the Café Annie name in 2015 before undergoing a full coastal-inspired redesign and relaunch as The Annie Café & Bar in 2019 by Berg Hospitality Group. Today, under Del Grande’s continued leadership, the restaurant offers elevated Texas-influenced American fare in a bright, sophisticated setting.
Café Annie first opened its doors in 1980 at 1728 Post Oak Blvd., where Del Grande and partner Lonnie Schiller fused classic French technique with the flavors of Texas and the Southwest . Over the next three decades, Del Grande’s focus on local ingredients and bold spices earned national acclaim and a devoted local following. In May 2009, Café Annie closed and reopened two months later as the more casual RDG + Bar Annie . Six years later, the space briefly reverted to the Café Annie name under new ownership , setting the stage for a comprehensive 2019 overhaul led by restaurateur Benjamin Berg and designer Isaac Preminger that transformed the dark bistro into a bright, coastal-chic dining room.
Dubbed the “father of Southwestern cuisine,” Chef Del Grande parlayed his background in biochemistry into culinary innovation, pioneering hyper-local farm-to-table fare that captivated Houston and beyond. His work at Café Annie led to Houston’s first James Beard Award for Best Chef Southwest in 1992 . Decades later, he still helms the kitchen at The Annie Café & Bar, updating signature dishes with modern technique while staying true to Texas roots .
The Annie Café & Bar showcases Texas-influenced American cuisine—think wood-grilled game meats, Gulf seafood, and inventive barbecue sauces—that celebrate the state’s bounty. The refreshed interior features exposed whitewashed brick, faux palm trees, a scalloped-tile bar, and intimate private rooms, evoking a sophisticated yet welcoming coastal retreat in the heart of the Galleria.
Guests still flock for Del Grande’s landmark creations – rabbit enchiladas braised with ancho and guajillo chiles, coffee-crusted beef tenderloin napped with pasilla-chile broth, and lump-crab tostadas that first captured national attention . Equally beloved are newer staples like Texas quail with smoked-cheddar dressing and a silky tortilla soup that echoes the chef’s Southwestern legacy . The Annie’s enduring fame is reflected in features across Food & Wine, Bon Appétit, and Gourmet, and consistent rankings among Houston’s best restaurants.
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The Annie Cafe & Bar Southwestern Grilled Chicken with Lime Butter Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 to 3 1/2 pounds bone-in Chicken Parts of choice
- 1 tablespoon ground Cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon Chili Powder
- 1 tablespoon Brown Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Cocoa Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground Black Pepper
- 3 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
Lime Butter
- 1/2 cup Butter melted
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed Lime Juice
- 1 Serrano Chile seeded and minced
- 2 tablespoons finely minced White Onion
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh Cilantro
- Pinch freshly ground Black Pepper
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine ground cinnamon, chili powder, brown sugar, cocoa powder, salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Mix well to make a paste.
- Coat chicken pieces evenly with paste using a spoon or basting brush.
- Grill chicken over medium heat on a gas grill or use indirect heat on a charcoal grill.
- Close the lid and cook until the internal temperature reaches 180°F in the thighs and 170°F in the breasts, about 30 minutes. Watch carefully.
- While chicken is cooking, in a separate bowl, combine melted butter, lime juice, serrano chile, white onion, cilantro and a pinch of black pepper to make the lime butter.
- Remove chicken from heat and immediately drizzle lime butter over grilled chicken just before serving or serve alongside for dipping.
The Annie Cafe & Bar Southwestern Grilled Chicken with Lime Butter
A Local & Regional Favorite Master Chicken Copycat Recipe
To See ALL of Our Local & Regional Favorite Copycat Recipes - Click HERE To See ALL of Our Master Copycat Recipes - Click HERE To See ALL of Our Cafe Restaurant Copycat Recipes - Click HERE To See ALL of Our Chicken Copycat Recipes - Click HERE The Annie Cafe & Bar Southwestern Grilled Chicken with Lime Butter Recipe is a Straight-From-the-Restaurant Recipe To See ALL of Our Straight-From-the-Restaurant Copycat Recipes - Click HERESPOTLIGHT RECIPES
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Photo of “Nando’s Streeterville Opening photos by Cindy Kurman” is by Kurman Communications LLC and is used by permission under the Attribution 2.0 Generic Creative Commons License. Read the Full License Here – https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode.en. Thank you, Kurman Communications LLC and . Great Pictures. Photos may be “representative” of the recipe and not the actual finished dish. All photo licenses listed were correct at the time of the posting of the page. Recipe Courtesy of Robert del Grande of The Annie Cafe & Bar. Recipe source – often, but not exclusively, the restaurant’s website, a magazine or newspaper article, a promotional video or a promotional book or handout – is presumed to be honest (this is the recipe used in the restaurant or a scaled down “home version” of a larger recipe) and accurate (no mistakes were made in the presentation). Recipe has been changed only to fit the style and format of this website – Ingredients and instructions are exactly the same as presented in the shared recipe. Additional Information is from original research done by SCRR and/or courtesy of Wikipedia and is used by permission.
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