The thing is, I’m not sure how new, and I’m doubly uncertain how improved, these Chicken Select Tenders are. They sure taste and sound (they’re crunchy) the same as the Chicken Selects that McDonald’s rolled out — and rolled right back up — in 2013. OK, the name is new.

Here’s the Chicken Select Tenders breakdown: all-white-meat tenderloin strips, lightly breaded and seasoned, then deep-fried. Served with your choice of dipping sauce.

Total calories: 370 (for three tenders). Fat grams: 22. Sodium: 680 mg. Carbs: 20 g. Protein: 23 g. Dietary fiber: 1 g. Manufacturer’s suggested retail price: $2.99 for a 3-pack.

Whoa, back up … lightly breaded? Seriously? Oh, I get it, like sometimes the fattest guy in the motorcycle gang is called “Tiny.” Or the basketball team may call its 7-foot-tall center “Shorty.” Lightly breaded? These chicken tenders have so much breading on them, I thought I was eating shrimp at Long John Silver’s.

The breading is hard and crunchy, almost like the crust on a day-old marble rye from Schnitzer’s Bakery. Inside, the chicken is moist. So, credit there. A suspicious mind (it’s not my nature) might think that McDonald’s double-dips these tenders in breading to make them look bigger — and worth $3. Just sayin’.

The name upgrade from “Chicken Selects” to “Chicken Select Tenders” emphasizes that these are made from whole shards of white-meat chicken — from one chicken. They’re from the tenderloin, that long, skinny piece that lies under the main hunk of meat on a chicken breast. That’s a good thing; they’re not the chopped-and-formed, chewed-and-glued composite chicken particleboard used for McNuggets.

It doesn’t take Sheldon Cooper to figure out that Chicken Select Tenders are a buck apiece. Is the chicken feed worth $3? Maybe not, when you compare them with the “20 McNuggets for $5” deal that McDonald’s has.

I like the breading on McNuggets more than the caked-on plaster on Chicken Select Tenders. Also, how about three Buffalo Ranch McChicken sandwiches off the Dollar Menu? There’s more fill-up and diversity of flavors with the McChickens.

A 3-pack of Chicken Select Tenders comes with your choice of sauces: Sweet ‘n Sour, Tangy BarBeQue, Hot Mustard, Honey Mustard, Creamy Ranch or Spicy Buffalo. Tip: ask for one Creamy Ranch and one Spicy Buffalo, and then double-dunk. Ranch and Buffalo — that’s a terrific combination. Think of what everybody’s doing at your favorite wing joint. If they hit you up for extra coin for the extra sauce, give ’em a John McEnroe “You can’t be serious” look. They’ll cave.

Chicken Select Tenders are another McDonald’s come-on from the world of poultry, fish, salads … anything but burgers. Beef prices are through the roof and into orbit. And like Buzz Lightyear, they may be headed to infinity and beyond. Unleash the chickens!