JJ and FWI have pretty much said it all.
I usually go one of 2 ways on chicken. I either open up the package, season it and throw it on the smoker at 325˚+ and wait for it to hit 165˚, or I go a little overboard. The latter usually involves spatchcocking, brining, drying overnight and smoking. I get decent skin either way. However, if I brine and then skip letting the bird dry in the fridge, I get pretty rubbery skin. For reasons I don't completely understand, the same brining process that leads to more moist and tender meat leads to tough, nasty skin. I believe it's similar to first part of the "tanning" process used in preserving hides for things like leather shoes. In an ideal world, we could brine the meat and leave the skin out in the air to dry. So we make do by brining the whole shootin' match and then leaving it all uncovered in the fridge overnight.
There is a 3rd option. The dry brine. Basically you just salt the crap out of the bird and leave it in the refrigerator for a few hours. This (and Lord forgive me for opening this can of worms again) I believe pulls moisture out of the skin letting it get nice and tender, while at the same time it denatures the proteins in the meat allowing it to hold onto more of its natural juices during the coking process. Many claim this is the superior option as instead of adding a bunch of moisture to the meat, thereby diluting the already subtle flavor, it intensifies the flavor. I'll admit to very limited experience in this method, but the one time I did it, the chicken was pretty tasty.
So there's my 2 cents worth. Chicken's cheap, so try a few different methods and see what works for you. And don't forget to come back and let us know how it turns out!
