Chicken braised in Buttermilk with Za'atar

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
And now for something completely different! I saw this recipe at Food52 and had to try it. It's super easy, but you need to give the chicken a day to sit and soak. This would be great for a picnic dish, eating the chicken cold with some nice slaw and biscuits.

Ingredients
4 chicken thighs
1 tablespoon Za'atar
1 1/2 tablespoon garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
3 cups Buttermilk
4 fresh thyme sprigs

Procedure
Season the chicken on all sides with salt and pepper then sprinkle on the Za'atar dividing it evenly between all four pieces. Sprinkle some of the garlic onto the bottom of a snug fitting casserole. If it is snug you will use less buttermilk. Place the chicken on top of the garlic then top the chicken with the remaining garlic. Pour buttermilk over the top of the chicken until it is three quarters covered. Top with the thyme. Place the chicken into the fridge over night. 30 to 60 minutes before baking, remove the chicken from the fridge to get it closer to room temperature. Place the chicken into a heated 375˚F oven. and bake for 20 minutes. Turn the oven to 425˚F and bake another 20 minutes making sure the top of the chicken is nice and caramelized. Remove from the oven and serve. This goes nicely over a grain or rice pilaf.