This week I reached out for a new — at least in the U.S. — Zinger sandwich from the No. 1 chicken plucker, KFC, with 4,200 restaurants here at home and another 15,000 joints ’round the world.

As Joe Biden would say, sort of, this is a big deal for KFC. The chicken dynasty has invested $80 million in development, equipment and employee training to bring the Zinger to America.

Hey, why rush things, KFC? The Zinger has only been your top-selling chicken sandwich everywhere else since it was introduced in 1984 in Trinidad and Tobago. You know what’s kind of weird? I’ve never been to either place, but I think I’d love Trinidad and would want no part of Tobago. No idea why.

Anyway, here’s the Zinger breakdown: a whole white-meat chicken breast marinated in secret herbs and spices (here we go again with KFC keeping secrets), double-breaded by hand and deep-fried. The breast is festooned with KFC’s special mayo and lettuce, served on a toasted sesame-seed bun.

Total calories: 500. Fat grams: 23. Sodium: 1,150 mg. Carbs: 47 g. Dietary fiber: 3 g. Protein: 27 g. Manufacturer’s suggested retail price: $4.59.

Here’s the deal: The Zinger also is part of a KFC $5 Fill Up box. You get a full-size Zinger, one side dish (I got the potato wedges), a chocolate-chip cookie and a medium soft drink — for only 41 cents more than the cost of just a Zinger. For a change, a legit, honest-to-goodness bargain.

The Zinger hunk of meat is chunky and crunchy. It’s got a decent spicy kick, and you can hear every bite. It’s a solid, hefty chicken sandwich. I liked it a lot.

Here’s the real deal about the Zinger, though. This is KFC’s border-wall defense against McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s and the rest of the “Burger Boys” invading KFC’s turf and selling chicken sandwiches. As in $2 billion (with a “b”) worth of chicken sandwiches.

So what’s different about the Zinger? KFC is cooking Zingers from start to finish in each restaurant. The raw breasts are breaded and plunked in the deep fryer until golden brown. You’re getting a freshly made sammie.

KFC says most of the Burger Boys are selling chicken sandwiches made with breasts that were breaded, half-cooked and frozen in a factory far away, and only heated up in local restaurants.

Why is it important for KFC to get into the sandwich game? Because sandwiches ring up 40 percent of all fast-food chicken sales. Bone-in chicken, KFC’s specialty, accounts for only 18 percent of fast-food chicken sales. The other 42 percent consists of nuggets and salads and wings and gizzards and other body parts.

For America Firsters, KFC says all the chicken used in Zingers comes from 200 U.S. farms. And by 2018, KFC will buy only chickens free of antibiotics. Baby steps, sure, but in the right direction.