Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven over medium heat and season the chicken with salt and pepper. Once hot, cook the chicken for about 2-3 minutes on each side or until no longer pink. Remove the cooked chicken from the pan and set it aside.
In the same pot, add the onion, bell pepper, carrots, garlic, and salt until the onion is translucent and the carrots are tender, about 5 minutes.
Add the corn kernels, thyme sprigs, and broth and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for 30 minutes.
Remove the thyme stems (the leaves will have mostly fallen off and infused into the soup) and either using an immersion blender or a regular blender, only blend half of the soup so it has some texture.
Add the cooked chicken pieces back into the soup along with the cashew cream, add more salt and pepper to taste as needed, and a squeeze of lime juice. Garnish with chives before serving.