14ouncesextra firm tofufrozen, thawed, drained, sliced into 4 pieces, and pressed for 30 minutes. See notes.
½cupoil free ranch dressingdivided into ¼ cups (Plus ½ cup more for dipping, if desired. This recipe uses the cashew version-see notes.) Or sub your favorite ranch dressing.
Prepare the tofu. Freeze the tofu in the package overnight. Allow to thaw in the refrigerator (this can take a day or more) or place in a large bowl of cold water. When thawed, drain the tofu, cut into 4 pieces (see pics in the article above) and press for 30 minutes.
Make the marinade. Whisk together ¼ cup of ranch dressing, 2 tablespoons of vegetable broth, and ½ teaspoon poultry seasoning.
Place the tofu pieces and the marinade in a plastic ziplock bag, and gently move around to thoroughly coat the tofu. Allow the tofu to rest in the marinade at room temperature for 30 minutes (or in the refrigerator up to 24 hours.)
Remove the tofu pieces from the marinade, and gently wipe off any excess liquid from the tofu.
Get out two small, shallow dishes. Add ¼ cup of ranch dressing to one dish. In the other dish, mix together the breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, poultry seasoning, onion powder, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper, and stir to combine.
Using one hand, dredge a tofu piece in the dressing. With the other hand, dredge the tofu piece in the breadcrumbs mixture. Flip it around and press breadcrumbs onto the tofu to make sure it's well covered, including the sides and the ends. Repeat until all of the tofu is breaded.
Place the tofu evenly on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes, carefully flipping the tofu over halfway through the cooking time.
Garnish with chopped parsley, and serve with extra ranch dressing on the side if desired.
Notes
Ranch dressing. I used the cashew version of my ranch dressing rather than the tofu version, as the added fat helps make the breadcrumbs crispy. I have not tried it with the tofu version, so can't recommend at this point. Breading. Use one hand to dip the tofu in the dressing and the other hand to dredge it in the breadcrumbs. This helps keep things a little less messy, and avoids getting too much dressing in your breadcrumbs.Freezing tofu. Freezing tofu helps it soak up a marinade and gives it a firmer, chewier texture. You don't have to freeze it, but your tofu will be softer and less flavorful.Pressing tofu. You can skip this step, but the result is best when the tofu is pressed for 30 minutes.