If you are spatchcocking or halving the chix, place dark meat over the known hot zone. As and example, a UDS with no diffuser is hotter in the center, so place white meat towards the outer edge. In an offset smoker, the dark meat would be placed towards the firebox. Reverse flow offset.. I don't know?
Whichever end is warmer.
For skin issues, try setting chix naked (unwrapped) in a frost free fridge for several hours to overnight in attempt to wick moisture from skin before cooking.