Preparation

Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the chicken pieces and brown on all sides. Add the water, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon, reserve the poaching liquid, and when cool enough to handle remove the meat from the bones and set aside. Strain the poaching liquid to remove solids, reserving 6 cups, and set aside.* Puree about 1 cup of the corn in a blender or food processor and set aside. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in the pot over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and sweat for 4 minutes, until tender. Add the thyme, bay leaves, salt, and pepper and stir to coat the vegetables. Add the chicken, reserved poaching liquid, pureed corn, and whole corn kernels. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat, partially cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the heavy cream and garlic in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until the cream reduces by half. Puree the cream mixture in a blender until smooth; set aside. Add the lima beans and patty pans to the chicken mixture and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the pureed heavy cream and tomatoes and simmer for 1 minute. To serve, remove the bay leaves and ladle the soup into bowls.