Palladium nanoparticles supported on chitosan (Pd-NPs@Chitosan) have been used for the first time in Suzuki cross coupling of bromo and iodoarenes carried out in ionic liquids. The reaction proceeded smoothly in molten tetrabutylammonium bromide (TBAB) affording unsymmetrical biaryls in good to excellent yields. A low catalyst loading (0.1%) is used and the catalyst can be recycled without deactivation. (C) 2013 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.