Have you considered preparing it naked (skin-less)? There's no law that states a bird will get dry if you cook it without the skin. I've smoked skinless whole birds, quarters and pieces. We like our smoked chicken better this way than skin-on, and it only takes a minute or two to remove the skin. The smoke actually will penetrate into the meat and even give you a nice smoke ring to boot with a gas or charcoal fired smoker. A light to moderate smoke with and combination of apple, pecan or cherry gives a very nice flavor. I find little smoke flavor with a skin-on bird, except for the skin itself, yet, with a skin-less bird, it is a deep flavor as you would find with any other meat.
The meat stays moist if not overcooked, just like it will with the skin on. There's a thin membrane over the muscles that stays intact when you peel the skin off of a well-chilled/nearly frozen bird which seems to hold the natural juices inside. I smoke skin-less low & slow @ ~225* which works out great when smoking other meats at the same time. I've smoked skin-on birds at higher temps of 275-325* with a low chamber humidity, and even when basted with butter, a crispy skin is no guarantee...maybe just one of those things I can't seem to master, but skin-less has been a no-fail method for what I'm really after (good smoke flavor).
Ya just never know 'til ya try it...
Eric
