Step 1

Place chicken, breast side up, on a work surface and spread open as much as possible; pat dry with paper towels. Using your palms, press firmly on breastbone to flatten. (You may hear a crack and this means you’re doing it right.) Season chicken all over with salt and set aside.

Step 2

Pour oil into a small skillet; stir in paprika, coriander, and cumin. Set over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until tiny bubbles form and oil around spices starts to sizzle and is very fragrant, about 2 minutes. (This step extracts oils from the spices, bringing out their flavors.) Immediately pour half of spiced oil into a large bowl; set remaining spiced oil aside for borani. Let oil in bowl cool 5 minutes, then add yogurt, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes and whisk until smooth.

Step 3

Place chicken in bowl and work yogurt mixture all over, getting into every nook and cranny. Cover and chill up to 24 hours, or if you’re pressed for time, proceed directly to the next step.

Step 4

If chilling chicken, let sit out on the counter at room temperature 1 hour before roasting.

Step 5

Preheat oven to 425°. Place chicken, breast side up, on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and roast, rotating baking sheet halfway through, until chicken is cooked through and deeply golden brown, 40–50 minutes. Let rest 15 minutes before carving.

Step 6

While the chicken is resting, toss cucumber, yogurt, raisins, and lemon juice in a medium bowl to combine; season with salt. Pour reserved spiced oil over borani.

Step 7

Serve chicken with borani and lemon wedges for squeezing over.