Spice-Crusted Chicken Breasts with Lemon-Cucumber Raita

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Ingredients

1. 2 1/2 tablespoons coriander seeds
2. 2 1/2 tablespoons cumin seeds
3. 2 1/2 tablespoons fennel seeds
4. 1/2 seedless cucumber, unpeeled and coarsely shredded
5. 1 1/4 cups plain whole milk yogurt
6. 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
7. 1 garlic clove, minced
8. 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
9. Salt and freshly ground pepper
10. Six 6-ounce boneless chicken breast halves, with skin
11. 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. In a small dry skillet, toast the coriander, cumin and fennel seeds over moderate heat until golden and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a spice grinder and let cool. Grind the seeds to a fine powder.
2. Spread the shredded cucumber on several layers of paper towel and blot dry with more paper towels. Transfer the cucumber to a bowl and stir in the yogurt, lemon zest, garlic, cayenne and 1 teaspoon of the spice mixture; season the raita with salt and pepper.
3. Brush the chicken with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the remaining spice mixture all over the breasts. Heat 2 large ovenproof skillets over moderately high heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to each. Add 3 of the breasts to each skillet, skin side down, and cook until golden, about 4 minutes. Turn the breasts and continue cooking for another 3 minutes. Transfer the skillets to the oven and bake the chicken for about 8 minutes, or until just cooked through. Serve the chicken warm, with the raita.